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classifieds-marketing-news · 1 month ago

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Where to Locate Event Planning Services for Your Business

Where to Find Event Planning Services Finding reliable event planning services is crucial for the success of your business event. Fortunately, multiple avenues exist to explore when searching for the perfect fit. No matter how you go about selecting the best event planning service, however, remember that it’s important to do thorough research, read reviews, and interview potential event planning services before making a decision so you can be sure to find a service that aligns with your business’s needs, ultimately delivering a fun and successful event. Looking for an event planning service? Take a look at what’s available using the following resources: Online Platforms – Websites like Thumbtack, Eventective, or Bark provide comprehensive databases of event planners. You can filter by location or event type while you read reviews from previous clients. Professional Networks – Professional networks like LinkedIn offer another way for businesses to connect with professional event planners. Look for profiles with strong recommendations and a demonstrated history of successful event planning. Local Business Directories – Check your local business directories or Chamber of Commerce listings for event planning services in your area. Trade Shows and Industry Conferences – Industry events often bring together industry professionals, including event planners. Trade shows and conferences are both great places to network and find potential event-planning services. Word of Mouth – Recommendations from other businesses, friends, or family can be extremely valuable. If they had positive experiences with an event planner, you are likely to have a similar experience. Social Media – Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook are widely used by event planners to showcase their work. Browsing social media can inspire and help you find planners that align with your desired style. The Importance of Event Planning Services In the business world, strategic event planning remains highly important. It not only enables businesses to showcase their competence and vision, but it also helps cultivate meaningful relationships with stakeholders. An expertly planned event can become an influential communication tool that speaks volumes about your company’s professionalism, values, and dedication to excellence. What Event Planners Do Event planners are seasoned professionals who bring a wealth of expertise and creativity to the table. Their responsibilities encompass a variety of tasks critical to an event’s successful execution. Event planners coordinate all aspects of professional or personal events, from conception to execution. Tasks include understanding client objectives, creating event concepts, budgeting, venue scouting, vendor negotiations, handling event registration and ticketing, and preparing contingency plans. On the day of the event, an event planner manages operations, coordinates with vendors and staff, and troubleshoots any arising issues. Post-event, event planners handle feedback collection, performance analysis, and payment settlements. Their important role ensures a smooth, efficient, and successful event. The Event Planning Process: From Conception to Execution Diving into the intricacies of event planning might appear daunting, but for seasoned event planners, it’s an orchestrated dance of multiple elements, each choreographed with precision. If your aim is to conceptualize and helm a successful professional event, attention to these pivotal stages is indispensable: Conception – This inaugural phase lays the event’s foundation. Here, the client and event planner come together, crystallizing the event’s goals, projected budget, and overarching vision. Leveraging their expertise, the planner crafts an innovative theme that mirrors the client’s branding, ensuring the event’s unique identity. Planning – As the blueprint takes shape, the event planner delves deep into the logistical nuances. This involves

scouring for the perfect venue, engaging in hard-nosed negotiations with vendors, and charting out a tentative schedule. Additionally, they anticipate potential snags and prepare backup plans. This roadmap, intricate in detail, ensures the event resonates with the initial objectives set. Preparation – At this juncture, the rubber meets the road. Contracts are signed, sealed, and delivered. Invitations wing their way to potential attendees, RSVPs are tracked, and a final checklist of permits and insurance is ticked off. The planner, donning the hat of a maestro, chalks out a minute-by-minute itinerary for D-day, steering the team and vendors toward synchronized brilliance. Execution – This is the moment when detailed plans come to life. On the day of the event, the planner is constantly present, managing on-site logistics, coordinating with vendors, and skillfully addressing any unexpected challenges. Their main goal? To ensure a seamless flow of activities that creates a memorable experience for all attendees. Evaluation – Once the curtain falls, the planner’s role is far from over. They dive into introspection, gathering feedback, performing an in-depth analysis of the event’s successes and areas of improvement, and wrapping up financial obligations. This introspection isn’t just about post-event analysis; it’s a gateway to refining strategies for subsequent, even more successful, events. Key Features of Full-Service Event Planning Opting for full-service event planning services ensures businesses enjoy stress-free event experiences. Small business owners and guests can focus on networking and enjoying the event while the event planner handles the detailed planning and execution, making the event a successful and memorable affair. Choosing full-service event planning can provide significant advantages to businesses, especially when looking to host an impactful event without getting entangled in the intricate logistics it entails. A few benefits of hiring professional event planning services include: Curated presentation – Beginning with conceptualization, event planners work closely with businesses to understand their vision, objectives, and brand ethos. They use these insights to curate a theme and event design that aligns perfectly with the intended message. Logistics management – Through logistics management, professional event planners scout and book venues, work with vendors, and coordinate transportation. Full-service event planners also manage event registrations, oversee ticketing, and create contingency plans for any unforeseen challenges. On-the-day event coordination – Event planners also ensure that same-day event activities are successfully executed. They coordinate with vendors, manage staff, handle any unexpected issues, and ensure the event runs seamlessly and according to the planned timeline. Final Details – Post-event responsibilities include cleanup, feedback collection, and performance analysis. Event planners ensure all loose ends are tied up efficiently, and the venue is returned to its pre-event state. How Full-Service Event Planning Streamlines Your Business Events Full-service event planning can streamline your business events, providing a seamless, efficient, and stress-free experience for everyone involved. By handing over event logistics to experienced professionals, businesses can concentrate on their core operations and objectives. A full-service event planning service can streamline and support your business events in a variety of ways, including: Holistic Management – Full-service event planners handle every detail, from venue sourcing to clean up, ensuring a cohesive and efficient event. Time and Resource Efficiency – Businesses can devote their time and resources to their main operations rather than investing in event planning and execution. Professional Expertise – With a wealth of industry knowledge and connections, event planners can secure better deals with vendors, manage risks effectively, and deliver successful events.

Brand Enhancement – Professionally planned events can boost your brand’s image, making a positive impression on attendees and stakeholders. Reduced Stress – With all event-related responsibilities in expert hands, businesses can enjoy the event and focus on networking and engagement. Evaluating and Choosing the Right Event Planner Evaluating and choosing the right event planner is a critical step for businesses aiming to host successful events. The right event planner can not only bring your vision to life but also ensure that your event achieves its intended goals, whether it’s enhancing brand visibility, fostering client relationships, or celebrating milestones. Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision when selecting an event planner: Understand Your Event Needs Define Your Objectives: Clearly outline what you want to achieve with your event. Is it to launch a product, boost team morale, or engage with your community? Event Scope and Scale: Consider the size, type, and complexity of your event. This will help you determine if you need a local boutique agency that specializes in intimate gatherings or a larger firm with experience managing grand-scale corporate events. Research and Shortlist Event Planners Start with Recommendations: Ask for referrals from your network, industry colleagues, and social media groups. Personal recommendations can lead you to trustworthy professionals. Online Research: Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, Eventective, and Bark to find event planners. Pay attention to their portfolios, reviews, and social media presence to gauge their style and professionalism. Evaluate Their Experience and Portfolio Relevant Experience: Look for planners with experience in your event’s specific type or industry. Ask to see a portfolio of past events that showcase their creativity, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills. Client Testimonials and References: Request and check references. Speaking directly with past clients can provide insights into the planner’s reliability, flexibility, and ability to manage budgets and deadlines. Assess Their Services and Specialization Service Scope: Determine if they offer full-service planning, which includes everything from conception to cleanup, or if they specialize in particular aspects like design, logistics, or vendor coordination. Specialization: Some planners might have a niche in eco-friendly events, technology conferences, or luxury weddings. Ensure their specialization aligns with your event’s theme and goals. Conduct Interviews Personal Connection: The planner’s personality should mesh well with yours. You’ll be working closely, so it’s important that communication flows easily and you share a mutual understanding of the event’s vision. Ask the Right Questions: Inquire about their process for budget management, vendor negotiation, contingency planning, and how they handle unexpected challenges. Discuss their team structure, the tools they use for project management, and how they measure event success. Discuss Budget and Fees Transparency: A reputable planner will be upfront about their fee structure, whether it’s a flat fee, hourly rate, or percentage of the event cost. Discuss your budget openly to ensure they can deliver your vision within financial constraints. Value Proposition: Consider the value they bring to your event beyond just costs. Their industry connections, negotiation skills, and expertise can save money in the long run and elevate your event’s quality. Making the Decision Alignment with Your Vision: Choose a planner who demonstrates a strong understanding of your vision and shows enthusiasm for making it a reality. Trust and Confidence: You should feel confident in their ability to execute your event smoothly and handle any issues that arise. Trust your instincts about their capability and reliability. By thoroughly evaluating and choosing the right event planner, you can

ensure that your event not only meets but exceeds expectations, leaving a lasting impression on your attendees and advancing your business objectives. Post-Event Analysis and Follow-Up Post-event analysis and follow-up are essential components of the event planning process, providing valuable insights into the event’s success and areas for improvement. These steps ensure that the effort put into organizing the event translates into tangible outcomes for your business, such as strengthened relationships, enhanced brand recognition, and actionable feedback for future events. Here’s how to effectively approach post-event analysis and follow-up: Conduct a Thorough Debriefing Internal Team Meeting: Shortly after the event, gather your internal team, including any key stakeholders and the event planner, for a debriefing session. Discuss what went well, what didn’t, and any unexpected challenges or successes. Event Planner Feedback: Invite your event planner to share their views on how the event was executed, focusing on vendor performance, attendee engagement, and logistical details. Their feedback can be crucial for gaining insights into both the logistical and experiential dimensions of the event. Analyze Event Data Attendee Feedback: Collect feedback from attendees through surveys, social media, and direct conversations. Ask about their overall experience, favorite aspects, suggestions for improvement, and whether the event met their expectations. Engagement Metrics: Review data from registrations, attendance, session participation, app usage, and social media engagement to gauge the level of interaction and interest among attendees. Financial Review: Compare the final budget against actual expenses to assess financial management and identify areas where costs were higher or lower than anticipated. Evaluate Objectives and ROI Objective Achievement: Evaluate the success of the event by comparing it to the original objectives established during the planning phase. Whether the goals involve generating leads, improving team cohesion, or launching a product, determine how well these objectives were met. Return on Investment (ROI): For corporate events, calculate the ROI by considering factors such as new leads generated, sales closed, press coverage received, or any other quantifiable business outcomes that can be attributed to the event. Implement a Follow-Up Strategy Thank You Notes: Send personalized thank-you messages to attendees, speakers, sponsors, and vendors. This gesture helps strengthen relationships and shows appreciation for their participation. Content Sharing: Distribute post-event content such as session recordings, photos, key takeaways, and any relevant resources to attendees. This not only adds value but also keeps the conversation going after the event. Lead Nurturing: For corporate events, follow up with your leads by using personalized communication strategies. Categorize your leads according to their level of interest and engagement during the event, and share relevant information or offers with them. Document Insights and Lessons Learned Comprehensive Report: Compile a detailed report summarizing the event’s outcomes, attendee feedback, financial review, and lessons learned. This document serves as a valuable resource for planning future events. Action Plan for Improvement: Based on the analysis, identify specific areas for improvement and develop an action plan. Set clear objectives for addressing these issues in future events to ensure continuous improvement. By dedicating time and resources to post-event analysis and follow-up, businesses can maximize the value of their events, foster lasting relationships with stakeholders, and lay the groundwork for future event success. This iterative process of reflection and improvement is key to achieving long-term event planning excellence. From Corporate Events to Wedding Planning: The Versatility of Event Planning Services

Event planning services are remarkably versatile, and they manage an array of events suiting a multitude of needs. Event planners�� expertise ranges from corporate events like conferences, trade shows, and product launches to social gatherings like weddings and anniversaries. Corporate event planning focuses on professional gatherings. These events might be set up as internal events like small team-building exercises and holiday parties or external ones like client appreciation events, industry conferences, grand openings, or even fashion shows. A corporate event planner ensures the event aligns with the company’s brand image, meets its objectives, and provides value to the attendees. Wedding planning, on the other hand, is a more personal endeavor. A wedding planner closely collaborates with the lucky couple to bring their vision of the special day to life. They handle a variety of tasks, including venue selection, caterer coordination, decor desig,n and timeline creation, thereby ensuring that every detail aligns with the couple’s wishes and the event runs smoothly. The versatility of event planning services means they can adapt to different requirements and expectations, tailoring their services to match the specific needs and objectives of the event, whether a corporate gathering or a personal celebration. By choosing a professional event planning service, you ensure your event, regardless of its type, is in expert hands. Frequently Asked Questions about Event Planning Services What does an event planner do? Event planners coordinate all professional or personal events, from conception to execution. Even planning tasks include understanding client objectives, creating event concepts, budgeting, venue scouting, vendor negotiations, handling event registration and ticketing, and preparing contingency plans. On the day of the event, an event planner manages operations, coordinates with vendors and staff, and troubleshoots any arising issues. Post-event, event planners handle feedback collection, performance analysis, and payment settlements. The important role helps ensure a smooth, efficient, and successful event. Why should you hire a full-service event planning company? Hiring a full-service event planning company offers several advantages to small business owners. It provides a holistic approach to event management, covering everything from concept design to post-event cleanup. By doing so, an event planning service saves businesses valuable time and resources, allowing them to focus on their core operations. Event planning companies bring professional expertise and industry connections, which can lead to better deals with vendors and a higher quality event. Plus, event planners’ in-depth knowledge helps mitigate potential risks, manage unexpected #StartupBusiness #Business #Event #eventplanningservice #eventplanningservices #Locate #Planning #Services https://tinyurl.com/2bjl2btf

#Business #Event #event planning service #event planning services #Locate #Planning #Services

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thankful · 6 months ago

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17. Aug 2024

I’m thankful for my new planner (lærer = teacher, kalender = calendar, obviously) which I worked diligently to fill in today. Until my brain started smoking, at which point cam stepped in to help me use ChatGPT to fix my calendar woes! Thankful for that! He also made super yummy chocolate chip cookies!! Yum yum yum!

Also thankful for the girls being ready to go back to school. There’s no dread, no worry, no frustration - just excitement! Woo! I bought them each a little gift (tiny stationary stuff to add to their pennals) and wrote them each a little card. 3rd and 6th grade!!!

Lastly, thankful for the little gang of kids from the neighborhood who hang out. They do a really good job managing themselves coming up with lots of their own entertainment. We had another choreographed dance yesterday, for example. (Made ya look by Megan trainor). The only problem is Thea wants to join but she’s kind of a turd out there, so we have to entertain her inside instead 🙃

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sankyyyy · 10 months ago

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From Canvas to Crowd: Exploring Event Artists’ Impact with Artist Bazaar Community

Introduction

When we think of an event, the first thing that springs to mind is mostly the audience's energy, the breathtaking sights, and the immersive experiences that create long-lasting memories. The artists and creative spirits who turn everyday places into magical areas are responsible for these truly memorable occasions. Event artists are now essential in the fast-paced world of event organizing. The Artist Bazaar Community is a network that links Artist For Events with large stages and is committed to improving event experiences through artistic expression.

Artist's Journey for Events-

Becoming a well-known event artist after working as a private artist is a personal development process. Many artists find comfort in their canvas, using it as a private place to have silent conversations with their inspiration. However, moving to publicize their work by giving a performance or exhibition in front of an audience is a gratifying but difficult task. For events, artists present their work and interact with attendees directly, creating an engaging dynamic rarely found in formal showcase shows.

Role of Artist Bazaar Community in Supporting Artists-

An essential component of this life-changing experience is the Artist Bazaar Community. Through the establishment of a connection between artists and event organizers, the group guarantees that artists are accessible and essential to public events and corporate activity. In addition to relationships, the assistance comes from training programs that address performance skills, audience interaction strategies, and scheduling. Additionally, the community offers the best Artist For Events. With this, artists get an active networking opportunity to engage with colleagues and business executives, increasing their visibility and opportunities in the events industry.

Impact of Artists on Events

The impact of incorporating artists into events is essential. The depth and emotion of visual artists, actors, and musicians improve the atmosphere. Artists carry a unique charm with them that has the power to turn an average event into fantastic entertainment, from live painting workshops that capture the spirit of a festival to engaging dance performances that tell a cultural tale. Events where artists have provided entertainment and greatly increased audience involvement are highlighted in the Artist Bazaar Community's success tales, making the events more social media-worthy and memorable.

Challenges and Opportunities-

It can be challenging to be an event artist. Obstacles include modifying your artwork to fit various topics, adjusting to new audiences, and handling logistical issues like transporting and arranging your artwork at the event. However, things are starting to improve! More event coordinators are realising the value of art in creating memorable events. Events that look good engage people and maintain their interest are in high demand due to the pandemic's rebound. The ArtistBazar community works to lower these obstacles so that performers can rise above the difficulties and seize the chance to perform. The community acts as a mediator by offering Artist For Events since it recognizes the precise needs of event planners and artists.

Vibrant Hub For Talent-

The Artist Bazaar Community is a dynamic center where opportunities and talent meet. Here, creativity can be fully discovered. They will do all their power to assist you if you're searching for anchors for any event, as well as choreographers, DJs, singers, painters, comedians, mehendi artists, etc. Please trust our knowledge to match your needs for an event with our premier services. Their specialty is creating unique experiences. It just needs to be asked for; this community is prepared to use our best management service to make your event memorable. Let your creativity bloom by coming to the Artist Bazaar Community. You can contact them to schedule your upcoming excellent entertainment event!

Conclusion -

The Artist Bazaar Community is your doorway to an endless range of creative opportunities, regardless of whether you are an artist eager to enter the event sector or an event planner hoping to add artistic touches to your next gathering. Interact with gifted artists and turn your events into unique experiences by joining us today. You can explore their website or contact them to learn how you may work with innovative artists on your upcoming project. Thanks to their constant backing and enthusiasm for art, the Artist Bazaar Community and its artists are poised to revolutionize event experiences by transforming every event into a platform for remarkable artistic expression.

#Artist For Events

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quantumtraffic1 · 1 year ago

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Your Guide to Traffic Management Plans: Things You Need to Know

Picture this: A bustling city street, cars whizzing by, pedestrians crossing with purpose, and cyclists gracefully weaving through the lanes. What's the secret behind this harmonious chaos? It's all thanks to traffic management plans in Sydney!

Whether you're a curious commuter or a city planning enthusiast, buckle up as we dive into the world of traffic management plans and discover how they keep the wheels of our cities turning.

Demystifying Traffic Management Plans

So, what exactly are these plans? In a nutshell, traffic management plans are carefully crafted strategies that ensure the efficient and safe movement of vehicles, pedestrians, and even cyclists on our roads. Imagine them as choreographers of the urban dance, coordinating every step to perfection.

The Ingredients of a Traffic Management Plan

A well-designed plan doesn't just appear out of thin air; it's a result of meticulous planning and collaboration. Here's what goes into cooking up a traffic management plan:

Data Collection and Analysis

Before orchestrating any traffic magic, experts gather data on traffic patterns, peak hours, and the types of vehicles on the road. This data helps them understand the challenges and opportunities present.

Goal Setting

What's the endgame? Is it reducing congestion, improving pedestrian safety, or promoting eco-friendly commuting? Defining clear goals guides the entire plan.

Choosing the Right Strategies

Like tools in a craftsman's workshop, strategies vary. From dedicated bus lanes and bike-sharing programs to pedestrian-only zones, a cocktail of approaches ensures a balanced plan.

Stakeholder Involvement

City officials, urban planners, transportation agencies, and even the public – it takes a village to craft an effective plan. Gathering input from these stakeholders refines the plan and ensures it serves everyone's needs.

Traffic Management Plans in Action

Now, let's see these plans in action:

Taming the Rush Hour Beast

Ever been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour? That's where traffic management plans shine. By optimizing signal timings and lane allocations, these plans help ease the frustration of stop-and-go traffic.

Pedestrian Paradise

In bustling city centers, ensuring pedestrian safety is paramount. Traffic management plans create designated crosswalks, install countdown timers, and even design pedestrian-only zones to make walking a breeze.

Embracing Eco-Friendly Commutes

With the climate crisis looming large, cities are embracing greener alternatives. Traffic management plans play their part by incorporating bike lanes and promoting the use of electric vehicles, reducing the carbon footprint one lane at a time.

The Future Looks Bright

As technology evolves, so do traffic management plans in Sydney. Imagine a world where AI monitors traffic in real-time and adjusts signals on the fly to prevent bottlenecks. It's not just a dream; it's the future we're headed towards.

A Call to Action: Everyone's a Stakeholder

You might be wondering, "How can I contribute?" Well, dear reader, you have a role to play! Here's how:

Spread Awareness: Share this knowledge about traffic management plans with your friends and family. The more informed we are, the smoother our streets become.

Use Alternative Modes: Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transport whenever possible. Every small choice adds up to big changes.

Engage with Your Community: Attend local meetings, voice your concerns, and collaborate with city planners. Your ideas might just spark the next innovative strategy.

Final Thoughts

So, the next time you cross a street seamlessly, thank those behind the scenes crafting the urban symphony – the traffic management plans. These invisible heroes keep our cities moving, ensuring we reach our destinations safely and efficiently. As we look ahead to a future of smarter cities and smoother roads, let's remember that we're all part of the journey towards better traffic management.

Source By: Your Guide to Traffic Management Plans

#traffic management

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treschiceventp · 2 years ago

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Questions You Must Ask a Wedding Planner

Weddings are all about splendor and presentation. This event becomes the biggest and the most important event in the lives of the bride and the groom. Detailed planning and endless arrangements from the invitations to the sequence of the events makes a wedding possible. But the smooth functioning of the arrangements and excellent execution of the plans is what makes the wedding spectacular. A good wedding planner miami not only ensures a brilliant presentation but also, takes the stress off the couple and their families.

Once you decide to hire a wedding planner, the next big step is to find the most suitable wedding planners in hollywood fl for yourself. The first thing that should concern you is the location of the planner's workspace. If the planner is situated near your place, both the provider and the clients become accessible to each other at most times.

The next question that you should be asking the planner is whether they will charge you for the first meeting or not. The first meeting works like an interview, therefore, should be charge free. This meeting is very crucial. The client must very carefully observe the personality, manner and confidence of the planner. Also, the planner should seem equally excited and ecstatic about your big day as you are and should listen to your needs with promptness and give only constructive advice, not forcing his own ideas over your dreams.

In this meeting, you should ask them several questions, and look forward to answering multiple questions; an inquisitive planner is the one you are looking for.

Does the planner have any sort of formal education in management or hospitality? This ensures that you hire a professional who knows his work. • How many weddings have they planned before? Experience ensures that the planner has several references and collaborators. • Would they sign a formal contract? Signing a contract would mean a full commitment on the planner's part. Also, the terms and conditions of the contract should not favor any one of the clients or the planner. • Would they stick to your budget? You want a planner who provides you with the best in your set budget. • Do they need a deposit before starting and would they require the full payment? The terms of payment should be discussed well and that the payments to the vendors have to be made separately or will be done by the planner himself. • If or not they use assistants? If yes, do you get to meet the assistants before starting the preparations? Acquaintance with the assistant is important to become comfortable with the entire team. • Do they indulge in double booking? Clashing weekends and wedding dates are things you would want to avoid. • Who are their collaborators? Whether they'll cut cost-saving deals? Alliances with Florists, caterers, photographers, choreographers etc. who deliver quality work is a must have. • Will the planner be present at all events? Supervised vendors, soothing nerves and last-minute troubleshooting require the planner's presence.

#wedding planner miami #wedding planners in hollywood fl

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lovesbiggerthanpride · 2 years ago

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15 Questions

I was tagged by @katareyoudrilling, @criticallyacclaimedstranger, @miss-mandalorian, @fireproofmarta, @iamskyereads -- thanks for tagging me.

1. Are you named after anyone?

I wasn't.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Two weeks ago? I don't know. I hate crying.

3. Do you have kids?

Not yet.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Is the sky blue? (Yes.. maybe too much.)

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Eyes, personality, smile.

6. What’s your eye colour?

Brown.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

More on the happy ending side.

8. Any special talents?

I dance, sing, try my best to make people laugh.

9. Where were you born?

NJ.

10. What are your hobbies?

Photography, traveling, hosting dinner parties, writing, content creating (like reels and tiktok), going to Target, trying out new makeup.

11. Have you any pets?

No.

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

Dance (for many years). Some soccer.

13. How tall are you?

5'3.

14. Favourite subject in school?

English.

15. Dream job?

I'm very grateful to have my dream job (dance instructor / choreographer), but my other dream job? Event planner. Perfect combo of what I love to do: being creative, working with people, and project management.

Feel free to do this and tag me, I'd love to know more about you. xo

#about me #15 questions #meet mel

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stars-of-kyber · 2 years ago

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Hi :-) I really like all your kanthony fics. I am soo excited for the next updates of You Belong With Me. And no worries. Life can get busy and we will wait for it when it is ready. I am just super curious. Have you ever thought of writing a Kanthony ballet AU? Also, I super excited to learn that you have other unpublished WIPS. What are they about? Take care in 2023!

Hello! Honestly listening to this makes my day. Thank you very much ❤️ December is always such a hard time for me because of the end of school year and when I finally had time and thought “gonna write so much now!” I got this massive block 😞 but I’m working my way around it. Knowing that people like it make me even more excited to write really.

I HAVE a Kathony Ballet AU!

It doesn’t have a name yet but I made a Moodboard after watching one of my sister’s presentations last December (she’s a professional dancer, not ballet tho)

“Kate Sharma danced in many professional companies across from Europe until an invitation to dance for Aubrey Hall Ballet Company brings her back home. But nothing good comes easy and she’ll have to come head to head with Anthony Bridgerton, once one of the biggest starts of the modern ballet world, now a harsh, demanding, frustrating choreographer after a knee injury removed him from the dance scene. He definitively wont make her life easy. Neither will the explosive tension between them. But it’s alright, two can play this game.”

I have 6 WIPS, 2 one-shot series and a bunch of random One-shots plus the prompts you guys send me here on Tumblr (I promise I see them all and they are all being worked on or thought about very carefully and with a lot of love) that I am currently working on, some more than others.

Of course You Belong With Me is right now my primary focus (together with the Christmas one-shot) and I love them very much.

My Bodyguard x Princess AU, Of Noble Blood, is always very near and dear to my heart and I have about three chapters of it ready (unfortunately the first one if not one of them but I’m close to finishing it… eventually)

There is also Baby Mine that WILL BE FINISHED I PROMISE.

My Rockstar x Personal Assistant, I Found You (Now Everything is Music) is there staring at me waiting for me to go back to the five written paragraphs I have of it. Along with Lost, Drifting, my Memory Loss World War I AU that has the first chapter ready then I got stuck halfway through chapter II and now it’s there judging me every time I start a new WIP.

My one shot series, True Colours, my soulmates AU is my huge huge baby and I love it SO MUCH and it’s there, I desperately want to get it done but every time I open one of the docs nothing comes out. All chapters have cute names and I started like 5 of them with varying degrees of success. The other, the Book Swap one, I’m currently working on the first One-Shot that will be called The Viscount and I and I’m sure you can get where I’m going with this.

Most of them have moodboards bc I have so much fun making them and You Belong with Me and Of Noble Blood even have like a STRUCTURE, like I know how many chapters will be and what will happen in each of them (I am absolutely not a planner and this is actually a first for me yay. Most of my writing docs is just a jumbled up mess of parts that somehow I manage to work together into a story and given moment. I do not write linearly so when an idea comes I just skip some lines and write a completely different scene. My head is a mess, forgive me lol)

I think I posted most of my moodboards with the summaries, but if you can’t find them I can post them again for you 😊

#my writing #fanfic #my wips

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violetsoju · 4 years ago

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snapshot

miya atsumu · fluff · 1.9k

muse: highlight - not the end

a/n: my ultimate boys are finally back after three and a half years, and my inner fangirl that has been asleep for way too long has been unleashed for the past few days. hence, this impulsive piece. do let me know if you enjoyed it ❤️

It’s time.

After a year or so, there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom again, gracing the pathways with shades of light pink and white.

It’s the beginning of a new year, of new beginnings, of new hopes and dreams. A time of renewal and rebirth. When cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the future is bursting with possibilities.

What better way to start off the new year with something that makes your heart blossom with love and joy?

You’ve been deep in slumber for the past year, so it’s about time to be awaken and open the curtains for the sunlight shine in.

Your planner is inked with colourful notes and doodles, laptop reformatted with an empty recycle bin, camera equipment cleaned and dusted, phone storage deep-cleaned.

It’s hard to not notice the bright smile tugging your lips even without the mandatory cup of morning coffee, greeting everyone in the office like a ray of sunshine. Even your supervisor notices it and is surprised with the increased efficiency of work from your end. Perhaps he’s more surprised with your razor sharp accuracy in clocking out every day, disappearing in a flash once the clock strikes 6.

Your colleagues can’t seem put a finger to the recent change in your behaviour. What’s an afterwork get-together without you and ridiculous tipsy antics? Not even your favourite yakult soju or the summoning of your supervisor could drag your feet to the dinner place.

“Do you have a boyfriend? That’s why you’re so busy recently?” They would ask. Or they would try and wiggle their way by asking “Is there someone waiting at home for you?”

No matter how tactfully they twist and turn their words, they were all futile attempts. Because all they would get was a sickly sweet innocent smile that never met your crescent-shaped eyes, and an automatic response. “Thank you for the invite, but I’m afraid I’ll have to pass tonight. Have fun!”

They had their bets that you were wrapped up with your secret little love life, spending nights over at your lover’s place, whispering sweet nothings into the night. “Ah, young love.” They would sigh. “Remember to stay protected!”

Your tight lipped smile fuelled them further instead. Why don’t you say anything, they wonder.

To you, why waste your energy explaining something that is incomprehensible to them and risk having yourself being the centre of gossip? Not that you are already the recent centre of gossip.

Because they won’t understand the surge of excitement flowing through your veins at the ping of notifications popping up on your phone screen during work. They won’t understand the of anticipation for the timer on a video screen to turn zero, whether on the way home or while having dinner. They won’t understand the happiness of late night chats with likeminded people online, sleep washed away while gushing and typing in full caps with each other. They won’t understand the buzz of giddiness with just one post, one picture or one sentence. They won’t understand the little squeal behind a picture or a minute-long video unexpectedly appearing on screen. They won’t understand having the same song or same album on loop for days, weeks, or months. They don’t understand the dilemma of choosing a wallpaper or lockscreen for your phone. They don't understand how by remembering a person or something they have said before drives unimaginable motivation and makes the toughest circumstances bearable and possible to overcome. They won't understand how a person who doesn't know your existence personally can be a source of comfort and happiness.

They won’t understand the real reason why you’re smiling like a fool at your phone.

Maybe if they peered carefully at your phone screen, they would know why.

And it’s not what they had in bet.

Well, they were partly right if you were to be completely honest.

But if you were to place your bets, you’re sure most of them would still be scratching their heads in confusion at the black, gold and white logo.

It may be foreign to them, but you swear that you can see those colours even if you’re blind.

MSBY. The 8 member boy group. Worldwide superstars. The whole damn package. Boys made for the dazzling stage. Boys that deserve the whole world. Boys whose talent knows no limits. Boys that you hold dear to your heart.

Ever since Hinata Shouyou, the youngest of the group had injured his lower back and knee during choreography practice (in which was revealed with a slip of a tongue in a livestream that Bokuto and him were so engrossed with a certain acrobatic move which involved a backflip from a higher ground, they begged their choreographer to add it into their new choreography. Instead of showing a clip of the move, they decided to give it a shot and perform it live spontaneously for everyone, where too much adrenaline and a small slip had him lying in the hospital bed for weeks), the group had collectively come to a conclusion to halt their activities until he was fully recovered and ready to roll. There were no solo activities, solo promotions or unit activities despite the attractive proposals or invitations. Such a waste of talent and time, many said. What is their company thinking? Letting their cash cow go to waste like that. But they tuned out all the crap, and firmly held to their resolve of being together as a group; all for one, and one for all.

“We’ll be back. And we know you all have our backs.” Meian Shuugo, the leader of the pack assured, eyes filled with resolute and confidence.

So after a draught of 456 days to be exact, an oasis finally appeared in the burning desert sands. When the notification titled ‘MSBY is back’ appeared on phone and laptop screens alike, it took a few seconds for everyone to blink and make sure it wasn’t a mirage. But the small tick was unmistakable. Then the whole fandom lost their shit.

This isn’t a drill. MSBY is back. In full swing.

The black jackals are ready to hunt. Their hunger has been supressed long enough. They’ve been starved for too long. They’re out for blood. They’re ready to pounce at any moment. They’re back in the game.

(If you were to be real honest, everyone should have saw this coming after that particular livestream where Bokuto, the renowned king of spoilers, animatedly announced that “We’ll be seeing you guys soon. Like real soon!” with his wide toothy smile, to which Inunaki Shion ferociously slapped him in the back with a cramped broad smile plastered on his face. “In the next livestream, of course! Can’t wait to see you guys soon!” The mom of the group added through gritted teeth. Adriah Tomas choked on his water and sheepishly grinned, while Sakusa Kiyoomi stared ahead unfazed, like this was a daily occurrence.)

Which means it’s time for you to get back to work. Which is also no surprise why you’ve been so occupied these days, having two schedules to work with: your personal schedule and MSBY’s comeback schedule. Which also means, your weekends are MSBY’s weekends.

Fangirling is a job to be taken very, seriously.

Change of word choice for the better. Supporting your idols is a job to be taken very, seriously.

So on a pleasantly warm Saturday afternoon with cherry blossoms petals dancing in the wind, as you try your best to stable yourself on the ground with the huge ass DSLR in your hands, you scan for a specific person among the sea of people ahead. A specific blond, to be exact. But lucky you, because even if you don’t scan for him, he finds his way to your camera lens. Which is why your pictures are one of the most sought after and anticipated of the idol Miya Atsumu, lead dancer of MSBY.

It’s like he has antennas on the top of his head. Despite the flurry of cameras flashing at him, confessions and screams drowning out his surroundings, rapid camera shutters going off like woodpeckers drumming relentlessly on a tree, he somehow, always manages to locate you, to look right into your camera lens, giving you his million dollar smile or infamous grin with small fangs peeking from the sides. The cherry on top? His top-notch fanservice. He never, never fails to give a reaction to you. Be it a small wave, a heart shape with his arms bent over his head, or a flirtatious wink that would combust hearts right on the spot.

You’re beyond grateful for his attentiveness and recognition towards you. It’s not like you’re on his heels. Hitting the shutter button is just a pastime of yours when your schedule allows. In better words, you’re just a random potato popping up occasionally with a camera. Plus, it’s no easy feat to pick a specific person out among a sea of people, especially with tens or hundreds of faces flashing before his eyes in one go.

Truth to be told, you’re thankful for the special attention too, because you get to share the fun and playful side of him with everyone, to light up everyone’s day with pictures of their favourite golden boy. Sharing is caring, and in this big close-knitted family, everyone deserves to be well fed.

However, the good things in life are never free.

Jealousy is a bitch, and bitches need to get well soon. Rumours are born out of wicked tongues, and wicked tongues are born out of the evil fire of envy.

Baseless ridiculous tales circulate among the community. How you’re the daughter of some big-shot of the company or political figure, using, or abusing your privilege connections to gain his favour. How you’re an obsessive fan who has intruded your way into his life, holding his career by the reins out of corrupted love by stalking and threatening him to pose for the camera, your camera specifically if he wants to keep himself and his group safe. How it’s a business relationship between the both of you: you as his private photographer, him paying you to get perfect shots of him to boost his popularity, to outshine his members, to feed his monstrous ego.

But do you care? Of course you don’t.

Because between this jam-packed schedule, this is the only time you get to see your boyfriend in real life, and you want to keep a record of his amazing journey through your lenses. It’s a diary of his growth, the beautiful moments in his life. A diary for him, you and his fans. To also show him that you’re here with him, here for him, no matter what.

And does Miya Atsumu care? Of course he doesn’t.

Because what more can he ask by having the opportunity to see you in flesh, even if it’s just a few seconds amidst his hectic back-to-back schedules. You’re his serotonin, the one that he misses holding in his arms after a long tiring day, the one that keeps him going, the one that he can count on for being there.

Knowing that you’re there at every step of the way makes him take each step with more confidence and pride.

So as Miya Atsumu exits the broadcasting building, he searches for a familiar camera lens among the sea of similar looking cameras shoved in his face. He sweeps his gaze from left to right, and grins when he spots the one he’s looking for.

A face sculpted by the gods with a boyish grin that could lit up the world graces the cameras of many, but only one captures his eyes gleaming with delight head on.

There was a really cute fanart of idol! Atsumu but the artist has closed her twitter account so I can't link it here T_T but if you do have any idol! Atsumu fanarts do send them in hehe

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yuta1forme · 4 years ago

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like magnets | ten

summary: in which you and ten are up and coming choreographers who are forever at each other’s throats. but maybe fighting is just an excuse to get close.

pairing: ten x reader

genre: angsty fluff

warnings: some swearing, alcohol mention, loads of bickering

length: 4.3k

tag list: @sly-merlin @animegirl366 @yonoohcore

He’s confident to the point of arrogance. He knows exactly how to get under your skin. When the pair of you start fighting, all the other dancers make their way out of the studio, not wanting to get involved in another explosive Y/N-Ten showdown. He counters your every suggestion. He always has more critique for your performances than praise.

And yet, he is the best dance partner you could ever ask for. He matches your poise with his passion. In dance, you both have found a middle ground.

When Ten first joined the studio you really wanted to like him. He was a young, up and coming dancer from Thailand. What you had not seen coming was that besides being the same age, you and Ten had precious little in common. The day you first met Ten, you had decided in less than ten seconds that you two would never, to put this lightly, become the “best of friends”.

You had entered the break room of the studio that day, late and soaking wet because of the heavy downpour that had begun the night before. Hungry and disgruntled, all you had wanted to do was to grab a steaming cup of green tea and the last of your favorite jelly doughnuts. Only the thought of those jelly doughnuts had you hanging on during your hour and forty-five-minute long journey to work this morning. They were your emotional support food, your one and only indulgence. After almost three years at the studio, all the other dancers knew not to touch your jelly doughnuts. All except for the bucket-hat wearing Thai newbie who clearly hadn’t gotten the memo.

“Those were my doughnuts”, you had barely managed to huff out, focusing your mind on not raising your voice or worse, bursting into tears.

Now, if he had just apologized for eating them without asking you first, you both might not have started off on the wrong foot. No, the fucker just shrugged and said, “Didn’t see your name on them”. No shame in his eyes, not an ounce of regret in his voice. The powdered sugar from your doughnuts still around his mouth and dusted over his all-black ensemble. That fucker.

“So people just waltz into a room and eat someone else’s snacks where you’re from?”, you asked, your pitch becoming shriller with annoyance.

“No of course not. Because where I’m from, people don’t leave their snacks where everyone can see them, without putting their name on it first”, he replied, cool as a cucumber.

Taeyong had entered the break room at this point. He took one look at the powdered sugar on Ten’s face and the eyes-gonna-pop-out expression on yours and connected the dots. As one of the senior choreographers in the studio, Taeyong had developed a sixth sense for sniffing out conflicts before they broke out.

“Y/N! I see you’ve already met Ten! He’s the new dancer from Thailand. Ten this is Y/N”, Taeyong had prompted by way of introductions, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and inching closer to the door he had entered from.

“Oh, you’re Y/N. The one who choreographed the last Pink Cashmere comeback, right?”, Ten had asked, suddenly sitting up straight. Seeing that your conversation was turning civil, Taeyong had left the room just as quietly as he had entered it.

“Yes, that would be me”, you had responded. That was your first time working with an idol group and was a milestone in your career. You had spent weeks running on pure adrenaline and Americanos (and the occasional jelly doughnut), spending day and night listening to the new comeback track, reviewing concept photos and looking up old performances to get their style down just right. When you watched the girls perform the choreography for the first time, you were so immensely proud of yourself, you hadn’t stopped beaming for days.

“I should’ve known it was you, it had your signature footwork style all over it”, Ten had said, nodding his head slightly. You had felt flattered at that, surprised that anyone had even picked up that you had a certain trademark in your choreography.

“But, I thought it was too showy if you know what I mean”, Ten had continued, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, a slight frown on his face.

You were almost embarrassed at how much his words affected you. While you were used to internet trolls taking jabs at your work, it was something entirely different to hear full-blown criticism from your peers. As the youngest choreographer in the studio, you rarely got challenged when it came to choreography, with most of your colleagues wholeheartedly encouraging you to spread your wings and grow no matter the outcome. It probably was not intentional on their part but it had become a fear of yours - what if nobody would outwardly challenge your decisions because they thought you were too weak to handle the truth?

Still, you felt a need to defend your creative decision. You needed to stand up for yourself. “The girls are great dancers and I thought a more challenging choreography would push them out of their comfort zone. Sooji and Maya were actually part of a hip-hop dance crew pre-debut. They were itching to try out a new concept”.

“But why not use more formations in the dance? It’s an eight-member group. You could’ve used that to your advantage”, Ten had countered. He made a good point. But you didn’t want to concede to him. Who did this man think he was? Walking in here and questioning your vision as a choreographer?, you though to yourself.

“Most of the other girl groups that came back around that time had similar songs but only Pink Cashmere had a distinct choreography. I wanted to make their choreography memorable”, you had said.

Ten had remained quiet for a while. “I didn’t think of it that way”, he had replied, a thoughtful look on his face. “In that case, I think you succeeded at whatever you set out to do with that choreography. It was definitely memorable, Y/N.”

He turned his gaze up towards your face and flashed you a sweet smile. He looked like a whole different person, almost innocently brushing powdered sugar off his cheeks like a mischievous cat who had just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have done.

Your whole first interaction with Ten had confused you. First he walked in acting like he owned the place, critiquing your choreography as if he was a veteran dancer. But then he had just as easily praised your abilities. But at the back of your mind you had this nagging feeling that whatever Ten had said to you was not in an effort to undermine you, unlike some of the backhanded compliments delivered by your peers. He had criticized you because he thought you could take it, because he thought of you as an equal. And you kind of enjoyed that.

Arguing with Ten became a part of your everyday routine thereafter. So did labelling your snacks with your names and leaving passive-aggressive messages on post-it notes.

At nineteen, you gave up a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious law school in your country and moved to Seoul with a single suitcase and your old school backpack in hand. Your family had threatened to cut off contact with you if you left the country, but you left anyway; Your passion for dance was stronger than your fear of losing them. Dance was your first love. You lived and breathed it. Like hell were you giving up on your first love that easy.

You worked odd jobs during the day and filmed original choreographies for your YouTube channel during the night. After struggling for over a year, your hope slowly dwindling, you got a notification that changed your life. Kim Jongin, one of South Korea’s ballet prodigies had shared one of your videos on Twitter. Your subscriber count had quadrupled overnight, with hundreds of thousands of commenters dubbing you a “prodigy”. Fate brought you to Jongin, who then introduced you to Taeyong, who brought you to SM studios.

It was a dream come true - for years you had only struggled, floating in dark and murky water, swimming forward towards a hazy future. Now, you had thousands of fans, dozens of supportive friends, and a solid foundation from where you could dream. Your friend Hendery liked to joke that you would need more than twenty-four hours a day if you wanted to do everything in your planner. And truth be told, he was right. You had given up a lot to pursue your dreams. Given up on your family, most of your friends, your home country. You wanted to make sure it was all worthwhile. So you wanted to spend every day making the most of the opportunities that you now had. You went to bed each night with a head full of ideas and woke up every morning with the fire to bring them to life.

Of course, dedicating your life to your craft came at a cost. The rest of the world had not stopped moving just because you decided to make dance your life. This dawned on you one rosy Valentine’s Day evening, when you, date-less for the fifth year running, quite naively decided to scroll through Instagram. Amongst the sea of pink, flowers and picture-perfect happy couples were two faces that made your stomach instantly drop - your ex and a stunning woman posing for the camera with their fingers intertwined. On her ring finger, a diamond the size of a blueberry.

You remember the day you broke things off with your ex like it was yesterday. You were at the airport, waiting to get on your flight to Seoul, positively buzzing with nerves. You had waited until you were seated on the plane to send your ex a rather heartless text message saying you were breaking up with him to find yourself and that it was best if he forgot you. Very dramatic, even for you. But you were nineteen and had just watched ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. In return he had left you an equally dramatic voicemail, pleading with you to not end the relationship and proclaiming that he would never stop loving you. You had all but laughed at his message then.

You weren’t laughing anymore though. He was happily engaged, while you were lonely, lying in bed on Valentine’s day in a pizza grease-stained sweatshirt. You had spent the last few years working relentlessly which had given you a career that you could be proud of, friends you could rely on. But besides the occasional fling here and there, you didn’t have much in terms of a romantic life. You guessed you deserved this, that karma had finally caught up to you. Didn’t stop you from feeling like shit though.

So you did what you always did when you felt particularly shitty. You went down to the studio, turned the music on full blast and dove right into a new choreography. You were freestyling, too lost in the moment to hear the door creak open.

“I gotta hand it to you, Y/N, that was pretty impressive!”, a male voice exclaimed. You had spun around expecting to see Sicheng or Hendery at the door. Instead, you were met with a tired but rather amused looking Ten.

He was dressed in a white silk shirt and a pair of black slacks. You noticed the roses in his hands, slightly wilted but still beautiful nonetheless. He was clearly dressed up for a date. He looked striking as always but you didn’t linger too long on that, thinking that it was your romance deprived mind projecting thoughts onto the first attractive male it saw.

“What are you doing here? It’s Valentine’s day, don’t you have a crowd of screaming fans to attend to?”, you asked sarcastically.

“One date. And they stood me up, actually”, he replied with a bitter smile. He must have been quite upset if he didn’t have a snarky response for you.

You were truly taken aback. Ten? Getting stood up by someone? Ten, who could charm the socks off of anyone he set his eyes on, getting stood up on Valentine’s day?

“But how?”, you blurted out, instantly regretting it when you saw the quizzical look on Ten’s face. Yet you foolishly continued mumbling, or rather digging yourself deeper into a hole.

“I mean, you’re just...so...you”, you said vaguely gesturing at his whole form. From his boyish good looks to his ability to sweet-talk, Ten’s charms were undeniable. Ever since he joined the studio, the number of signups for the afternoon classes had doubled. Dozens of people would come to the studio every day, just to catch a glimpse of him. And he indulged them all too, flashing them his signature grin or paying them a cheeky compliment. If only you weren’t all too familiar with the way he could run his mouth during an argument, you too might have fallen for his charms.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Y/N, but I’m not quite the Casanova you expected me to be. But I will take that as a compliment”, he said with a wink that had you resisting the urge to roll your eyes.

“Still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here though”, you mumbled out.

“I like to choreograph at night. I think I’m my most creative after midnight. Besides I just got my heart broken and I should channel that emotional energy somewhere right?”, Ten said feigning nonchalance. You could tell he was genuinely upset from how his night had played out and couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

“Well, I’m here for reasons along similar lines. You could join me? Help me choreograph this new freestyle piece I’m working on?”, you had asked.

Ten cocked his eyebrow at you, clearly not expecting you to extend an olive branch to him in this manner given how you were still being snarky with him five minutes ago. But he accepted your offer nonetheless.

You both entered your element pretty quickly, letting the music move your body freely. You worked out a simple choreography, cheering for each other when you came up with a particularly impressive move. You were having fun, even though you wouldn’t admit it to yourself. At least you hadn’t thought of your ex in the last couple of hours, mind completely occupied with the thought that you and Ten surprisingly made good dance partners. Perhaps the friction between the two of you translated to great chemistry when you were dancing. Taeyong would be pleased to know that.

“I’m beat”, you exclaimed, slumping down on the floor after the final round of practice. Ten sat down next to you, resting his back against the mirrored wall. The pair of you sat wordlessly for a few minutes, letting your heartbeats slow back down. You lay flat on the floor, too physically exhausted to move. As soon as you closed your eyes, your traitorous mind brought back the images of your ex’s engagement and you groaned loudly.

“Long day?”, Ten asked, giving you a slightly concerned look. You just chuckled bitterly in response.

“Want to talk about it?”, Ten pried in an almost uncharacteristically gentle voice. You wondered if he had ever spoken to you in that tone before.

“I don’t know if we’re close enough to have little heart-to-hearts yet Ten”, you replied. There was an invisible wall between you and Ten that you were just not ready to tear down. The thought of sharing embarrassing details about your love life with someone you could consider a frenemy at best, too jarring. You didn’t miss the way Ten’s shoulders slightly slumped at that. You hadn’t meant to sound harsh, yet you felt somewhat guilty.

“But…maybe we are close enough to have a drink together?”, you asked, suddenly emboldened by a rush of confidence that confused even you. You took his cheeky smile as a yes.

You spent the rest of the night drunk and giggling with Ten. The thoughts of your ex were long forgotten. Perhaps you could learn to do more than merely tolerating Ten’s presence. Perhaps you could learn to enjoy his presence too.

Soon it became a ritual - if you and Ten were the last ones left in the studio, you would grab some beers and head to the roof. It was such strange departure from your usual selves that you often wondered why it was so easy for you to enjoy his company sitting under the stars like this when you would be at each other’s throats the rest of the time.

Over time your conversations had gone from discussions about art, to plans of travelling the world, what you were currently binge-watching on Netflix, and everything in between. Still, there were some topics that you both steered clear of - talk of family and love lives was seemingly off the table.

Until one night after a couple of drinks, when Ten pulled his phone out to show you a picture of two women, one older and one younger. The striking resemblance between the faces in the photo and Ten confirmed that they were indeed his mother and sister. His sister was clad in a dark blue graduation gown and his mother was holding a beautiful bouquet of light pink roses.

“She graduated last week, my baby sister”, Ten said practically glowing. The proud look on his face was a testament to the close relationship he had with his sibling.

“You must miss her a lot”, you said, voice barely a whisper.

“All the time. My family are my biggest supporters. I don’t think I would have had the courage to move out here on my own if it weren't for their encouragement”, Ten answered.

You hadn’t spoken to your family ever since you came to Seoul. In the past, the longing left a pressure in your chest that sometimes made it feel like your throat would close, choking you on your guilt. Now, it just left you numb.

“What about you?”, Ten asked, cautiously prying into your personal life.

“What about me?”, you countered, diverting your gaze away from the man sitting next to you, instantly wary of how much you wanted to share about your past.

“What about your family? Your old home?”, Ten asked.

It couldn’t hurt sharing with Ten, right? It’s not like what he thought of you really mattered to you. Right?

“I actually don’t keep in touch with my family any more. They weren’t too keen on me becoming a dancer. It’s been, what, three? Three and a half years since I last saw them. When I first left home for Seoul”, you said, trying your hardest to suppress any trace of emotion in your voice. You kept your gaze focused on the city skyline ahead of you, too afraid to turn and see the expression on Ten’s face. You wondered what he thought of you, whether he thought you were stubborn. Worse yet, whether he pitied you.

After a few moments, Ten broke the silence. “I guess sometimes, not having a family is better than having one that doesn’t love you for who you are. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t possibly know how you must have felt, all these years. But I want you to know that the people who love you now, love you without any agenda. Not because they are related to you by blood, not because they are obligated to love you. But because they just love you”, Ten said, eyes shining with an emotion you didn’t know how to react to.

“And they could be your family too”, he finished in a voice that was so warm, so gentle, you wondered if this really was the Ten who stole your jelly doughnuts when you first met.

You were speechless, processing his words for what felt like hours but was probably just a few seconds. Then you did the only thing your impulsive mind could think to do - you leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. In response, he wrapped you up in his embrace. You stayed still, focusing on the faint scent of his cologne on the sleeves of his hoodie. You breathed out a thank you, soft as a whisper. Whether or not Ten heard you, he moved his left arm slightly, gently stroking your hair and continued to chatter on about some entirely different topic.

You knew that once the sun came back up and both of you returned to your lives inside the studio, this little moment would not be brought up in front of anyone else. That moment was just for the two of you to share and bury deep within your hearts.

You knew you were in too deep one day when Ten gave you a friendly smile in passing while making his way to the break room, and you felt your cheeks and neck heat up. You had finally let the Thai dancer charm his way into your heart.

Typical Y/N, you thought to yourself, Falling in love with any cute boy who gives you attention. But he wasn’t just any cute boy. It was Ten. Ten, your frenemy turned close confidant. Ten, who would send you pictures of cute animals he saw on the street just because you once told him you wanted to adopt a cat. Ten, who took you dancing to a club in Hongdae when you were feeling low and all but carried your drunk ass back to your home. Ten, who over the last couple of months had heard every single one of your deepest insecurities and had still chosen to stick by you. Ten who had just left a box of jelly doughnuts in the break room, next to a post-it note with your name on it. To make matters worse, you were supposed to start working on a new collaboration together this week, a contemporary piece set to an R&B slow jam. How were you meant to work with him all week when you could barely make eye contact with him? You had to physically restrain yourself from facepalming.

You spent the week, evading conversation with him beyond work and some small talk to fill the silence. But none of your usual banter. You had even turned down his suggestion to grab dinner together several times that week, to the point that even typically non-confrontational Sicheng had picked up that something was off.

“Why have you been avoiding Ten all week? I thought you guys had given up fighting?”, Sicheng asked after he cornered you one day.

“Avoiding him? Now, why would I do that when we’ve been working together all week?”, you had chuckled nervously, desperately looking for an out from this conversation.

“He’s been sulking around since Tuesday, Y/N. He said he doesn’t know what he did to upset you”, Sicheng had asked you sharply.

The guilt in your eyes must have been apparent because Sicheng dropped his voice into a gentle whisper for what he said next.

“I know the two of you are as good at dancing around your feelings as you are at dancing on stage. But maybe try talking to him, Y/N? I think right now, you two might have more in common than you think”, Sicheng told you as he gave you a knowing look.

The day of the performance shoot came and there was a noticeable awkwardness between you and Ten. You decided to cut the tension by apologizing to him, citing the nerves for the performance as the reason you had been on edge the whole week. Whether or not Ten believed you, he accepted your apology and wrapped you up in his arms. You wished you had psychic abilities so you could read his mind. Did he have the same butterflies in his stomach right now?

As soon as the music started any nervousness you felt around Ten melted away. Dancing with him was like second nature to you by now. The song started with you on stage alone, dancing under the single spotlight illuminating the stage. You could see him out of the corner of your eyes, following your every move and observing you with nothing short of adoration. You left the stage for Ten’s solo and you could feel the goosebumps on your skin from watching him perform. He was absolutely stunning, moving fluidly through the movements as though he was painting with his body on the canvas of the stage. You joined him on stage for the chorus, dancing apart but facing one another as though mirroring the other’s movements. Through the bridge you inched closer and closer to one another. You felt your heartbeat beginning to rise from the proximity.

Both of you could communicate with each other with your eyes alone. You danced perfectly in sync with one another, pulling apart only to fall right back into each other, just like magnets. So different yet inseparable. You could see it in his eyes, when he looked at you, that the emotion in his mirrored yours. You knew you weren’t imagining it when he audibly gasped as you melted into his embrace for the final move. His heartbeat was racing a hundred miles an hour, just like yours. The pair of you stood there, lips just a few millimeters apart, breathing deeply as the studio erupted into thunderous applause. You were no longer afraid to admit to yourself and to the world, that you had it bad for Ten Lee.

And when he kissed you on the rooftop that night, you knew that he had it bad for you too.

#ten #ten scenarios #ten angst #ten fluff #ten imagines #nct #wayv #nct ten #wayv ten #nct scenarios #nct imagines #wayv scenarios #wayv imagines #nct angst #nct fluff #wayv angst #wayv fluff #moonrise

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serensama · 5 years ago

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To Release #2

Zen needs to let MC go.

Years ago, I had asked the amazing @promiscuous-jalapeno to write a HC for me when I was too scared to write my own and she did an amazing job- tore me right up it did. I asked her shortly thereafter if she minded if I tried to do it and she was kind enough to encourage me. Nearly 4 years and I’ve finally done it.

Trigger warnings: Character death, mentions of blood and aneurysm.

This is for my friend, my sister- Susana. I don’t know how to let you go. But one day I will. And one day I will see you again. Rest well until then dear one.

This is for my baby, my puppy Meiko- run free my little one. I know you’ll be waiting for me too. Keep Susana company and keep her safe until we catch up, okay? Good Boy.

- It wasn’t a particularly long or difficult day when it happened.

- They were wrapping up the film and just going over the last few scenes that Zen wasn’t thrilled with; ever the perfectionist he didn’t want sub-par acting from him or his co-stars, he loved his fans too much to offer them nothing but the best.

- The director hadn’t called cut but everyone had started to make a commotion on the set and forced the actor to stop and look around. A crowd had congregated near the catering table, someone calling for the onsite doctor for one of the crew who had seemingly fainted.

- The director walked towards the people and when she got close enough to see what or who the cause of the ruckus was, she spun on her heel and screamed out to him.

- Zen turned towards the sound of his name and saw his director calling him over with frenzied hands, urging him to quicken his pace and pointing towards the throng of people- “… It’s MC.”

- The actor had pushed one of his colleagues out of his way, apologising to them in his head as he bounded over to where the director had motioned to. He easily pulled people away to let him through when he finally got to eye of the masses, his MC laying on the floor in a heap. Her arms were thrown askew and her legs in an odd angle, a trickle of blood from where she caught her head against the edge of the table forming a pool of the rich, dark liquid beneath her.

- Zen hissed curses at the idle idiots around him, just standing there slack jawed staring at his girlfriend instead of doing anything else.

- With a gentleness he only ever showed to her, he caressed the inside of her wrist softly careful to not jostle her in case she hurt her neck or back with her fall. “MC, baby, please wake up, let me see those beautiful eyes again,” he cooed, praying his voice was enough to coax her from her unconsciousness. When she furrowed her brow but remained wholly unresponsive, he tried once again, convinced he could reach her. “Come on baby, I know you. You’re probably screaming at yourself for falling and being careless- especially with so much to do. So do it, kick your own ass and wake up. You can do this. Show me how strong you are MC.”

- Her eyelashes began to flutter as she sluggishly began to move.

- Zen exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding and a collective sigh of relief was released on set. Everyone knew and loved the ivory haired star but the only thing he was ever pedantic about to a fault was the health and safety of his manager, his girlfriend- his ‘whole world’. He couldn’t care less if all they gave him was warm water for lunch so long as she was well taken care of and comfortable.

- The doctor finally reached them and quickly rushed the remaining stragglers away from the couple, even managing to push Zen back when he said he needed more room to make sure MC was okay, the young man hovering around them, pacing worriedly about the sidelines like a mother hen.

- He watched on as the doctor patched her up, wincing as the thread and needle cinched up the gash- silently threatening the doctor to do a good job and not leave MC with a scar. However the more he thought of a scar on his girl got him a little excited, it would make her look mysterious, dangerous, his every own femme fatale- a physical representation of her inherent bad-assery for all the world to see.

- Zen could feel the tension in his shoulders relax as she slowly stood up and accepted whatever direction the doctor was giving her. He practically sprinted to her side when the older man gestured for him to come over, his long, toned arms carefully gathering her to him and pressing soft kisses to her skin, ignoring the scent of dried blood mingling with her sweet perfume. “… and make sure she doesn’t fall asleep again until you’re at the hospital and she’s in their care. Your blood pressure is pretty low and you’ve looked paler as of late, have you been getting enough iron lately MC?”

“Mhmm.” “Mm. Okay. Well go get those tests and make sure nothing too serious happened with that hit on your head. Make sure you watch out of her Zen,” the doctor instructed with a terse nod before taking his leave.

- A few moments passed with Zen still holding onto MC, lips still against her brow. He wanted to remember what it felt like to hold her and feel her breath against his skin, the warmth of her body, the sting of the pinch at his… the hell?

- Crimson eyes looked down to see MC pinching at his arm.

- “AIR!” she finally managed as she pried herself away from him, her mouth open and gaping for the precious gas to enter her lungs once more. He chuckled as he allowed himself one final self-indulgent kiss on top the crown of her head and stepped back, letting her find her own footing and collect herself.

- “What happened Jagi?” he asked, tucking an errant strand of hair back up into her messier messy bun. “Do you remember anything?”

- MC grimaced as she thought back, trying to remember anything before waking up to a blistering pain in her head and the sounds of hushed whispers all around her, and the large worried eyes of her lover peering down at her. Ignoring the pounding at the base of her skull and the way her world was just slightly off kilter, she focused on the chain of events that led her there.

- She had been looking over his schedule and worrying herself over how to get to one interview to another with only twenty minutes to spare across the city during peak hour traffic when she felt a sharp pain at the back of her eyes, acute and with such intensity she had to put her planner on the table and steady herself and then… nothing.

- Zen frowned not liking what he was hearing. At first he thought that she had neglected herself again, probably forgetting to eat something during the day because she was so fixated on him and his commitments she disregarded her responsibility to herself- it wouldn’t be the first time. Although this time, it felt different. Apart from the fact that he had practically force fed MC lunch with him not two hours earlier, he didn’t like the way she had been acting in the days leading up to this episode. She had been more exhausted than normal, crashing into bed often without having a shower which was something she was loathe to do, always yelling at him for doing it if he stumbled home from the set late at night. She was irritable and short tempered, yes she was a fire cracker and he loved her for it, but he could see she was being snappish for no good reason and that just wasn’t his MC.

- That and his dreams. Dreams he suppressed because they didn’t sit right with him, didn’t make sense, didn’t want to make sense of it. So he didn’t. It didn’t make sense that he would be in the middle of a choreographed number, with MC front row and centre watching him and he would do a turn and then she was gone. Just him alone on the stage, with people waiting for him to continue. It just didn’t make any sense.

- He would focus on what was real and happening in front of him and he would take things one step at a time instead of jumping to conclusions from stress addled dreams. Yes, that was it. It was the stress of this new movie. It was going to be the biggest one to date and with so much riding on his performance, there was no doubt that was what was causing such terrible images to play out before him the minute he closed his eyes.

- “Let’s get you to the hospital okay Jagi?”

- He almost throttled the doctor in the ER. How the hell did he dare say such things. He was going to ask for a second opinion and then a third. He wasn’t going to stop until he heard the right opinion, the only one that mattered. That MC was just fine. MC was going to live- anyone who said otherwise was going to taste the heel of his boot.

- “I know it’s difficult to hear but as it stands it might be best to start making some arrangements just in case-”

“You need to stop talking Doc,” he ground out behind his teeth, both hands squeezing against the metal of MC’s hospital bed. “Zen,” she chided with a disapproving look but with a gentle hand on his arm. “Let him speak.”

He shook his head and crossed his arms in front of him like he was trying to intimidate a better diagnosis out of him instead of the bullshit he was already sprouting.

“Not unless he goes back and does those tests again and comes back with some different results, because those are wrong,” he replied pointing at the chart the doctor held in his hands. To his credit the older man didn’t flinch too badly at Zen’s bullying, probably used to all kinds of bargaining from people in the ER. “As much as I wish they were wrong… they aren’t. I’m afraid there isn’t much else that can be done- what we’ve found is an intracranial aneurysm and at the size it’s managed to get we need to do emergency surgery or it’s at great risk of rupturing. All I’m saying is that the surgery comes with risks- as if it does rupture during the surgery she could have a stroke or receive permanent brain damage and, as such, she should get everything in order in case the worst were to happen-” “What we need you to say Doc is that the surgery is going to save her life and everything will be fine,” he snapped pointing at him menacingly. Zen tapped on the clipboard and then into the doctor’s chest to get his point across.

- The doctor sighed and gave MC a pointed look which she wordlessly responded with a nod, still disoriented from trying to catch up with what the man had just said. “Can you believe that guy? What kind of bed side manner was that? Jumin would be classified as downright cuddly compared to that guy,” Zen bristled, a shiver climbing up his spine as he thought about both men. MC sighed as she grabbed Zen’s hand, squeezing it to steel herself for what was to come. “The last thing you need to hear before impromptu surgery is hey- you’re probably gonna kick the bucket so make sure you know who is going to get your china.” “Jaehee is going to get the China. Saeyoung my shoes,” she grinned, stroking at the smooth skin on the back of his hand absentmindedly. “Yoosung said he wanted my gear from LOLOL, V will have my sketchbook and Jumin all my cat paraphernalia. You can keep my lingerie.”

- MC was giggling until she looked up at Zen’s face, his downturned mouth and sparkling eyes clearly showed a man who was not impressed with the jokes she was telling.

“Zen, Oppa, it’s going to be okay,” she soothed, bringing his forehead to touch hers, rubbing her nose to nuzzle him. “I need you to tell me it’s okay, that we’re going to be okay.”

“You only ever call me Oppa when you want something,” Zen pouted as he returned the action, he took a deep breath in and stilled himself. MC was in his arms and she always would be. “Hey, hey I promise Jagi you are going to be fine. You are going to go in there and that aneurysm thing won’t be able to win against you, nothing can whenever you make your mind up. You’re my girl. You’re wonderful, feisty. My take no prisoners warrior queen- you’re going get out of this completely unscathed.”

- MC sniffed and pulled back, clasping his larger hands with hers, her lips twitching at the sight of it.

“But…”

“No buts, that is until you are given the okay from the doctors that you’re all good after the surgery. Then this ass is mine,” he playfully growled, grabbing a handful of her rear to lighten the mood. MC laughed, an almost strangled noise through her tears and pecked him chastely on the lips.

“But-”

“MC I know in my gut that this isn’t the end of you okay, I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, you know that right?” he said earnestly as he looked into her eyes.

- “I know but-”

“But what?”

- “My hair!” she wailed much to his surprise. “They’re going to shave a huge patch of my hair off and I’m going to look like an idiot!” she continued, fat tears rolling down her face.

- Zen stared at her nonplussed before throwing his head back in laughter. This woman was strong. She wasn’t afraid of death. She feared for her style. She was his match in every way.

- Before they took her in to prepare her, he asked a favour with the nurses at the station who wholeheartedly agreed to assist him in his quest.

- Without a second thought or the slightest hesitation he cut off his pony tail and the nurses shaved off his signature ivory locks. MC screamed in protest but he would have none of it.

“It’s you and me MC. Whatever you do, I do. Your hair will grow back with mine and we will do all of this together. So you make sure you get out of this surgery and we can get back to living our lives together,” he negotiated as they started to wheel her away. “Promise?”

“Promise!” she called out to him, holding up a pinkie finger as they rolled down the corridor.

- Everything was hazy and everything felt heavy when she prized her eyes open, but she saw her handsome Zen and knew he was saying something sweet to her and all was right in the world. She could hear him saying something, she couldn’t quite make out exactly what but she knew they were comforting and probably stupid. Ah Jagi, you look so ravishing in that hospital gown or I got you baby girl or MC! You should have heard how you raved about my skills in bed as you came down from the anaesthetic! They need to keep me in the hospital to do all sorts of tests on how it could be possible for a man to be so beautiful and so talented in the bedroom- they say it’s some sort of genetic wonderment, I say it’s all because of you.

- “Thank you for coming back to me.”

- They said they did the best they could with what they had, that she would need constant supervision for the time being and they needed to keep close observation on the aneurysm to see if their intervention measures worked. That meant for the first time in a long time Zen willingly cancelled his schedule, all of his schedule. He didn’t attend any interviews or photoshoots, no fan-meets or even any online streaming events- his only goal was to care for MC. Even when she realised it was the premiere of his biggest feature film to date, the project she had fought so hard for him to get and he worked so diligently for- nothing would sway him. His place was with her and she just needed to get over the fact that there was nothing more important to him than her.

- “Zen, don’t be a fool.”

“I’m not. That’s why I’m staying here.”

“Zen! After everything we’ve done to get to this point, you need to be there!”

“I don’t need to do anything but be here with you, you’re the only reason I’ve gotten anywhere these last 5 years!” he yelled back, clearly not budging from his stance. MC was about to retort with a snappy comeback but as she did she got a sharp pain in her head and got woozy, prompting Zen to rush over and pick her up like she were a doll and place her back on the bed all the while apologising for yelling at her and hurting her and if she really wanted him to go he would, whatever would make her feel better.

MC let out a small sniffle and outstretched her arms towards him prompting the man to lay beside her and hold her to him, his immense warm radiating into her, his body comfortable against her like a weighted blanket luring her into sleep.

“Don’t go. Stay with me.”

“Always.”

- For a time after that, everything went well.

- Her check-ups were positive and things seemed to be under control.

- Then the headaches started. Not just the kind that a few ibuprofen could handle but the kind that had her crying, pulling at her skin to stop the pain. Then she had difficulty focusing her eyes at times. It was when she was falling down and forgetting how she got on the floor that he –

“I’m here Jagi. I’m right here. Don’t be scared… oh please… please don’t cry.”

- Those dreams had come back again. And once again, he swept them away because he refused to accept them. He would change the outcome. He had already saved her once, he would do it again. He just needed time.

- The doctors were useless. Absolutely useless. He punched one right in the face, it was a miracle he didn’t sue him. Perhaps he had felt sorry for MC and paid heed to her pained pleas that he not press charges against her carer. Or in truth, perhaps he felt sorry for him, the mess of a man on his hands and knees on the floor begging him to take his life instead of hers. As if the doctor had that kind of power to grant his wish. He would never know.

- MC urged him, begged him to back to work. She would be fine. She could stay with her mother and he could pick her up and it would be fine-

“Whatever you do. I do, remember? If you’re staying here, then so am I- stop trying to get rid of me,” he scolded before attacking her with his wondrous fingers, finding every single ticklish spot on her to force her to forget such treacherous thoughts.

- He had taken a liking to making her breakfast every day and actually eating with her, a luxury that they couldn’t afford during his normal timetable; she usually grabbed a large coffee for both of them to tide them over until they got on set to snack whatever they could before sharing lunch together… when possible. How they didn’t sit down more often to eat together all those years beforehand was baffling to him, it wasn’t something he was going to take for granted again. Moments with her just truly enjoying each other’s company with some good food as they sat in their pyjamas- he wouldn’t take it for granted anymore.

- Some days he let her cook when her symptoms weren’t too severe and he wasn’t petrified she was going to chop her finger off accidentally trying to make a bowl of cereal. Zen had to duck from her attack of dry Cheerios when he had made the mistake of saying so out loud. Not that he minded, without his long hair it made cleaning himself up much easier.

- He took the opportunity of being mostly unrecognisable to the public to go out and enjoy what they could. Going to the movies like a normal couple and tenderly making out in the back row when she felt up to it like some loved up teenagers. Going window shopping and having her try on outfits she had planned to wear for his future premieres and seeing her being fawned over by shop assistants made him beam with pride. None of those dresses would ever out shine her beauty for him… but the smile she gave him as he told her she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen when she donned a particularly dull dress, stole the air from his lungs.

- Zen liked to take her out for walks around the city or they’d drive out somewhere nice to take in the sights of whichever town or park they found themselves in- until she grew too tired and he would carry her on his back like she weighed nothing, never once complaining if he had to carry her for five minutes or fifty.

- Once the snow started he rented a cabin for the week and they lounged about naked as the day they were born; at times indulging in each other and others just lying in each other’s arms in silence. Words didn’t mean too much when Zen could understand everything her eyes silently confided in him. They said she loved him, that she was grateful to him and that with him, she was safe. That she was happy.

- It was on their way back to Seoul that she had her first seizure.

- She plummeted onto the ground, thankfully covered with fresh soft snow to cradle her fall. Zen tried to talk her through it, to keep her in a safe position until help arrived and the fit ceased. Seeing her so helpless, her body betraying her so completely and him utterly powerless to help her- he wanted to scream but this wasn’t about him, it was about her and he needed to focus on her. It couldn’t have been more than two minutes until she stopped shaking and her limbs started to relax under his hands and her breathing returned to normal.

“Z-Zen?”

“I’m here Jagiya.”

“I… I’m cold,” she said turning her face to look up at him. Zen looked into her eyes, he could see what she truly meant.

- Zen, I’m scared.

- Me too MC, me too.

- The doctors did their tests. She looked so small in her hospital gown. So small and tired.

- Their interventional measures… they were no longer working.

- “There’s nothing else we can do.”

- They walked together hand in hand down the stark white hallways of the hospital not saying a word, neither knowing how to proceed. He was feeling too many emotions to even begin picking out which one he was actively experiencing at any time, he could only imagine what MC was feeling. He felt a quick squeeze of his fingers and found MC gazing up at him, with clear eyes and a weak smile on her lips.

“Let’s go home Zen.”

- There’s nothing else we can do. Let’s enjoy the rest of whatever time I have.

- He waited until she was asleep and went into the kitchen and pulled out six pack and drank, one after another, nothing able to sate the growing chasm in the pit of his stomach. When he had finished that pack he quickly checked up on MC who was still resting soundly and decided to walk down the street to the nearest convenience store and pick himself up another pack or three of any available alcoholic beverage to drown some of his sorrows. He was entitled to it god damn it, he just needed to feel nothing at all, no confusion, no to too many things to process at once - just a drunken stupor he’d regret in the morning. That’s what he needed.

- He had gotten there and filled a little cart with so many beers they threatened to topple over, so he did the only reasonable thing and drank a few right there in the store. He could hear a few people whispering about the weird guy in the back chugging down drinks like the end of the world, joke’s on them, it was ending. A world without her in it was no world worth living in.

- “Yo. Slow it down man,” he heard a familiar drawl say. He did not want to see him. He didn’t want to see anyone. Zen drained the final drop out of the bottle and turned back to see white and pink and an inordinate amount of leather. Reaching down into his cart, he picked up another can and cracked open the tab, nodding half-heartedly towards the younger Choi brother before downing another- oh shit, there it was. Blissful ignorance rushing through his veins. “Seriously man what the fuck, get a hold of yourself.”

“You know what Saeran, just fuck off okay,” he said, or slurred, who the hell knew.

“No I don’t think so,” he said waving off his friends that he had originally entered with. “What’s going on with you? Why are you doing this?” he asked, managing to pull the cart of drinks away from Zen’s hand.

“Fuck. Off. Choi,” he spat out before polishing off his drink. Saeran clucked his tongue and shook his head in pity, he didn’t need to be a genius to know that the man before him was hurting. He knew because he had felt a very similar pain before. He had tried to drown that pain and could easily recognise it in the man before him.

“Yeah yeah I heard you. I will. After I get you back home,” he said pulling at Zen’s arm and shoving some money on the counter to pay for the consumed beverages. Zen yanked his arm away from Saeran and almost lost his footing, his natural grace the only thing saving him from falling head first into the rack of glass bottled condiments.

“I’m not ready to go back yet, don’t touch me, I’m fine-”

“Sure drinking at a convenience store at 3am in the morning on a Tuesday dressed in your pyjama pants and a shirt and slippers is really the epitome of fine-”

“I don’t need this right now-”

“And that’s why I’m helping you-”

“I don’t want your god damned help-”

“And that’s why you’re getting it. Come on, don’t make this harder than-” Zen had pushed him back and sent him flying into the front desk, startling the attendant. Saeran muttered an apology and stood in front of him, feet grounded once more in case he decided to attack him once more.

“Just leave me alone, okay.”

“I can’t. MC would kill both of us if I did,” Saeran explained with his palms raised to the ceiling as if he were trying to reason with Zen that he truly had no other choice but to stick around until he finally submitted.

“MC won’t be around long enough to do anything to either of us,” Zen whispered, tear-laced lashes fanning across his cheeks as he closed his eyes, the alcohol loosening his tongue and heightening his emotional outburst. Saeran swallowed his shock for the moment, his mind quickly digesting the new information Zen had just given him. He didn’t think she was that bad but by seeing the normally suave and cocky actor looking like a homeless man trying to kill himself with alcohol was enough to know that he wasn’t being melodramatic about it. MC was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Saeran clamped his lips together to seal any shuddering breaths he had wanted to take, or any pathetic noise he was bound to make after hearing one of his closest friends was not long for this world. Breathing deeply from his nose and exhaling strongly through his mouth, Saeran nodded to himself as he made up his mind.

“All the more reason for you to get home to her.”

- Zen had wanted to fight him, to pick up another drink and just sit in the corner of the store and pretend just for a little bit longer that this wasn’t happening. But it wasn’t the truth. It was happening. And every second away from MC felt like another needle to his heart. If he didn’t have long left with her, no matter how long it was, shouldn’t he be with her as much as humanly possible?

- “Saeran… can I still get that ride?”

Saeran smiled and dangled the car keys from his right index finger.

“Sure. But if you puke in car I’m telling ‘Young you did it and you can be at his mercy for stinking up his baby.”

- He stumbled into their apartment and wandered back into the bedroom. MC still asleep.

- Zen tiptoed into the room and watched over her prone form, the rise and fall of her chest enough to ease the dread in his heart that she had left him while he was away drinking himself into oblivion. Slipping under the covers carefully, he cautiously took her into his embrace and allowed the tip of his nose to trace at her warm, soft skin, still clinging to the scent of their soap from their bath together earlier in the day.

- Everyday. Every minute. Every second. Always. He would never leave her side.

- MC was getting worse, even though neither of them was saying it, it was obvious her health was in decline. The pain in her head so strong that she couldn’t make a sound as she buried her head in her arms and shook on the bed, her mouth open to scream with no sound but stifled noises from the top of her throat able to come out. Sometimes even the softest ambient light hurt her and she would encase herself in total darkness, letting herself succumb to self-pity and allowed herself mourn the loss of what could have been.

- Still Zen tried his best to maintain the most normal of lives for her. They would eat in bed by candlelight. He would push her in a wheelchair around the city and he would put on fashion shows for her as she was too tired or weak to do it herself. They would watch black and white movies because they hurt her eyes less and they would drive- drive for hours sometimes just to see the world pass by and pretend that nothing else mattered but the two of them.

- “Hey Jagi?” he called out to her as he washed the dishes from lunch.

“Mmm?” she hummed back, sitting up in bed as she tried to read a book. It was a good day. Her vision wasn’t swimming and she could focus. It was so nice to be able to see Zen again.

“It’s a really nice day outside, you feeling up for a quick walk?” he chimed, turning off the water and made his way back to their bedroom to lean against the door frame. His hair had grown back much faster than hers she noted, the longest strands able to reach the end of his ears whereas she only managed to have the shortest of pixie cuts come through upon her head. She half joked she looked like an egg and Zen answered that it was no wonder he enjoyed heating her up and eating her. She scoffed at him and slapped him the next morning when he boiled up some eggs and drew their likenesses on the shells.

MC tested her limbs, first her arms and then her legs, everything seemed fine and she thought she could even walk a little on her own today- she was so sick of being stuck at home and being coddled between the couch and the bed, the bed and the dining table, the dining table to the bathroom. She wanted to feel the grass beneath her feet, if only for a moment. Feel the sun on her face without having a window between her and the rays. Hear children playing instead of trucks go past their house. Yes. Yes she wanted to go for a walk.

- Zen had helped her into the bath with him; he carefully washed her hair and scrubbed her back, pressing kisses on every new spot his hands had just cleaned. She was so relaxed she almost fell asleep until he asked if she had changed her mind about their outing and she sprang back up like a puppy being asked if they wanted to go out. Perhaps she was just like that. Not the way she’d imagined wearing a collar and lead with Zen but at this point she’d take whatever adventure she could get. Zen questioned the amused expression on her face but she refused to let him know the reasoning behind her secret merriment. She didn’t want to give him any ideas.

- She asked which park they were going to and he answered the one that was closest to them. MC pouted as he helped her get dressed in a pretty sundress she hadn’t worn for almost a year and a light cardigan to keep any chill away from her. She decided not to sulk too much, he probably chose the location because it was close to home and if she needed to go back if she had any symptom flare ups, she would be grateful to be back home as quickly as possible.

- The drive there took no longer than a couple of minutes and after finding a carpark quickly Zen had prepared to get her wheelchair out only for her to stop him, telling him that she wanted to try to stretch the cobwebs out of her legs to which he only smiled back and nodded. MC looked out of windscreen, there was some sort of party being held not too far from them. She could see some kids running and some people all gathered around and enjoying themselves and she felt an envious smile slip across her face. When was the last time she’d been well enough to attend a party? Goodness, nearly four months at least. Yoosung had practically cried when she and Zen had entered through the door, the blonde man clearly very drunk, enhancing his already tearful welcome.

- “Do you think we could steal some cake from that party over there?” she cheekily asked Zen as he opened her door and helped her stand up, her legs giving a tentative wobble as she acclimated herself. Her boyfriend smirked and had that devious glint in his eye that she only knew too well.

“Why don’t we go over and ask?”

- MC’s eyes widened as she realised that he absolutely meant to do as she asked. She swatted at him impatiently, telling him he was an idiot and that she didn’t mean it, she was just joking and…

- Those kids were her niece and nephews running around.

- The people congregated around were her mother and father, her sister, the RFA and some of Zen’s co-stars from their last project- this was for her?

- Jaehee came over with the biggest smile she had ever seen and placed a crown of flowers on her head and supplied her with a modest bouquet of wildflowers made up of her favourite blooms from their numerous nature walks, before kissing her on the cheek and walking away.

“What… what is… what is all this?” she asked, her heart constricting at the sight of all her favourite people around them, all smiling and some even crying. She turned to where Zen had been only to find her father come up behind her, his face ruddy with emotion as he offered his arm out to her. The other hand motioning for her to look ahead as she Zen positioning himself at what looked like an altar covered in the same wildflowers, Saeran behind him and Jaehee on the other side.

- MC could barely breathe, her heart soaring at the sight of the man she loved more than anything, waiting for her at the end of the aisle. His beaming face lighting up the area better than the sun ever could, his eyes fixed only on her and nothing else. He simply mouthed the words will you marry me and she nodded, so hard she thought she would her head would fall off, causing his smile to grow even more as he held out his open hand to her- just waiting for her to come to him.

- MC released a choked laugh as she clung onto her father’s arm, her other hand wrapped around the bouquet tightly to confirm this wasn’t just another dream, this was happening and it was real.

- When they finally reached Zen, her father placed a kiss on her temple and whispered words of love in her ear before taking a seat next to her sobbing mother. She took his hand and yes, thank god yes, it was all real.

- The ceremony was short, it had to be to ensure she would be able to endure it but she didn’t care. She would have stood there for days on end if it meant being able to marry the man beside her. Neither of them could take their eyes off each other, both having to be prompted by the wedding minister to answer “I do”.

- Their first kiss as man and wife was tinged with the salt of both their tears but nothing tasted sweeter to them. Not even the cake that MC had ‘stolen’ a slice of.

- The drive home, MC couldn’t stop smiling at the light glinting off their matching plain white gold bands, simple and elegant just like Zen was, the meaning behind the ring far more important than the kind of ring it was.

- He had promised a whole week of it just being them, no doctors, no visitors, nothing she didn’t want to do. It was just going to be her and him, the occasional bowl of cereal and their bed.

- Married life was much as the same as life before, nothing apart the signing of paper and rings to prove anything was different between them. However the knowledge that he was officially her husband and she his wife, it added a pep to his step, a deeper renewed vigour to continue to care for her no matter the outcome.

- She slept longer than normal, but after the excitement of the last couple of days he couldn’t blame her for being tired. She at least wasn’t complaining of pain anymore and her eyes weren’t too bad for the most part.

- It was into the second week of their elongated honeymoon after he had done his best to alleviate her sore neck as they sat on the couch that MC turned to him, her eyes wide with revelation.

“What is it Jagi?” he asked, massaging her head and relishing the feel of her soft hair on his palm. She hummed appreciatively and leaned into his touch, earning her a smile from her husband.

“We never had a first dance, at our wedding- we didn’t get to dance!” she said dreamily, still mesmerized by feel of his hands on her. Zen hadn’t wanted to push his luck during the wedding, he didn’t want to exert her too much and cause a random headache to appear or cause her any embarrassment if her legs tired in front of their guests, he knew how much she hated showing anyone her weakness- even him. Maybe him most of all. Though here, in the confines of their home, with only him and her, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to indulge in their first dance.

- Zen put on their favourite song on his phone and stood up with a flourish, executing his most perfect bow to his wife, his hand outstretched to her once again as she sat before him on the couch. MC laughed as she demurely bowed her head and slid her hand into his. He carefully helped her off the seat and locked his free arm around her middle, the curve of her waist fitting perfectly into the crook on his elbow. He had started to sing along to the music knowing how much MC enjoyed hearing him sing to her, MC joining in as much as she could in the parts she was sure her voice wouldn’t crack in. Zen didn’t care even if it did, he loved singing with her, off key and off pitch- it never mattered. The woman he loved was singing with him, nothing would ever sound as good as their voices together.

- Zen skilfully lifted her as he spun around, putting her feet on top of his as he could feel her start to waver in her steps, her hands griping his own so tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re my husband,” she said as she lay her head against his chest, suddenly too heavy to keep up on her own. Zen chuckled and pressed a kiss against her forehead as he continued to dance for them both.

“I told you Jagi, it’s going to be me and you forever.”

“Always, right?” she asked quietly, closing her eyes to listen to the sound of his heartbeat, so strong in her ear.

“Always,” he affirmed, bringing up her hand to kiss the back of it before placing it against chest beside her face. Only for it to fall down loose beside her.

- Zen stopped for a moment, it wasn’t the first time her limbs had failed her but never so suddenly.

“Jagi, you getting tired on me?”

- …

- “… Jagi.”

- …

- “… Jagiya.”

- …

- He couldn’t loosen his grip on her. He knew if he did her whole body would fall within his embrace and… to see her listless… lifeless… that wasn’t his MC. That wasn’t his wife.

- So Zen cupped the back of her head with his other arm lifting her up against him, her feet dangling above his as he continued to sway them back and forth to the music. And long after it finished.

- “I’m… I’m so glad to be your husband MC.”

- When his feet ached so much he could no longer stand and his arms burned to the point of numbness, both of them fell to the ground, his face buried in her chest as he cried the tears of man who would never learn to dance with another again. His feet only knew the beat she set for them. Zen would dance with her again one day but until then, they would remain still. Until he found her again.

- Always.

#mystic messenger #mysme fanfic #zen #zen x mc #hyun ryu #mysme headcanon #angst

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metalcrowdcontrolbarrierssite · 4 years ago

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Steel Barricades Line Up At Parades

Introduction

For cities and municipalities, both large and small, parades are a source of civic pride. But they are also a crowd management challenge. Planners not only have to worry about the logistics relating to parade marchers and vehicles (and sometimes floats), but also consider arrangements for those who come to watch the parade - how many will attend, where will they stand, and whether there will be any safety or security issues.

Whether it's parades celebrating holidays such as Thanksgiving, Labor Day, St. Patrick's Day, or Veterans Day, parades welcoming home returning soldiers, or celebrations when a city's team has just won a championship, parades draw large crowds. Crowds generally line up, sometimes many people deep, along long parade routes, which necessitates the pre-planning of crowd control tools and activities.

Parade organizers, or the responsible police authority, must ensure that crowds (or any individual attendee) can't break through and interrupt or disrupt the parade. This is not just a matter of choreographing a pleasing parade, but it is a major security and public safety issue.

Barricades as Crowd Management Tools

Parade sites have long used physical barricades to separate an audience from a parade route. Prior to the mass success of steel barriers, wooden sawhorses were perhaps the most common barricade used. But an attendee didn't need to be strong to push over a wooden sawhorse; pretty much everybody could do it. And sawhorses did not connect with each other. As a result, unruly (or simply excited) attendees sometimes pushed sawhorses over, or squeezed in between them, to encroach onto the parade route.

As the years went by, more cities or parade organizers turned to interlocking steel barricades. With their heavier weight, individual barriers are much harder to push over, and when they are connected in a long line, it becomes exponentially more difficult to push them out of the way. And because they connect with each other, spectators cannot go between the barriers. Just the presence of steel barriers provides a psychological impediment to any thought that the parade route can be broached.

Steel crowd control barricades prevent a parade route from being "squeezed" by surging spectators. They provide a clearly marked and controlled space for the audience, ensuring that parade participants have enough room to march or perform.

Barricades used at parades most often feature the bridge base style. Barriers with bridge bases provide the best resistance to push by crowds and provide stability even in places where the street surface may be uneven.

Success in New York City

The effectiveness of European Crowd Barriers is only one reason for their widespread use at parades nationwide. In 2003, New York City changed its security routine at 17 parades by de-emphasizing wooden sawhorses, increasing the use of interlocking steel barriers, and reducing the number of police officers assigned to parade routes.

The New York Times (July 27, 2003) reported that the city saved $3.7 million and cut overtime costs 40%, as a result of this decision. In addition to significant cost savings ($500,000 on the St. Patrick's Day Parade alone), this allowed more efficient use of mobile police resources. Officers no longer stood in front of sawhorses, but were more spread out (with many on scooters), meaning they were more quickly able to move to where they were needed. The parades experienced no increase in trouble or arrests, according to police officials.

#European Crowd Barriers

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sultaniyaharsh · 4 years ago

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Les Twins Net Worth 2020 | French Brotherly Duo

Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, or also called Les Twins are a team of makers, artists, planners, choreographers, and models. For a specific measure of time, they filled in as ministers of a brand called “Eleven Paris”. Moreover, they a few melodies that are including Laurent as a MC and Larry Nicolas as a singer.

They have stage names, “Ca Blaze” and “Lil Beast”. In the event that you are keen on seeing more about the pair’s history and total assets, stay with us for a couple more minutes.

Private Life

They were brought into the world on the 6th of December 1988, in a cooperative inside a northern ghetto of France called Sarcelles. At their young age, they couldn’t go to breakdance preparing, so they just noticed different craftsmen in their old neighborhood, and by doing that, they obtained certain abilities which they are showing even today. Likewise, they took in some artful dance all the while.

At the point when they were twelve, they began acting in different musicals and shows in their old neighborhood and close by ones. They were credited as a characteristic conceived dance by WAD magazine. In 2005, they concluded that they need to frame a moving gathering, and they enrolled five different artists and shaped a gathering that was named “Criminalz Crew”.

As per them, their significant motivation comes from their mentor Abibou Kebe, and Michael Jackson, which they noticed and gained from. They have a few kin. Regardless of the two being twins, they can be easily perceived due to various haircuts and styles of garments. Additionally, they tend to wear wristbands and neckbands. All the time, they are depicted as fathers of new style hip-jump. Their one of a kind way of moving is classified “Twins Style”.

Career

Toward the start of their career, “Criminalz Crew” comprised of five individuals. In 2007, the entire group performed at the Avignon Festival dance celebration. After a year, they beat Joseph Go and Meech Onomo. They have become a French rendition of “Who’s Got Talent?” finalists. Their video, World of Dance, San Diego, got perhaps the most well known ones on YouTube. In 2011, they have succeeded at Just Debout, and they acknowledged the proposal from Beyoncé to go with her on her visits.

That very year, they showed up on Cirque du Soleil, performed with Timbaland and Big Sean, and performed on Nippon TV. They were visitors at Everybody Dance, which was held in Ukraine. As of now, they have an agreement endorsed with NEXT Model Management in France’s capital. Paris. They won a few world moving rivalries, the most outstanding one being World of Dance.

Net Worth

They gathered most of their abundance from their moving vocations. In addition, they performed with the absolute greatest stars on the planet like Beyoncé, Missy Elliot, and Big Sean. Later in their professions, they became models and brought in a lot of cash from that work. Starting at 2020, their total assets is assessed at $5 million.

Possibly the way in to their prosperity the help they give to one another. One thing is for sure, they are youthful, and they just started.

#Les Twins Career Les Twins Net Worth Les Twins Net Worth 2020 Les Twins Net Worth 2020 | French Brotherly Duo Les Twins Private Life

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lonelypond · 4 years ago

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A Coffeeshop Christmas Carol, Ch. 3

Love Live, NicoMaki, 2.6K, 3/?

Summary: We check in with our cast for a breakfast update.

Maki refused to schedule anything before 11 a.m. And now that she wasn't taking pre med cattle call chem and bio classes and was instead the resident composer people had to make an appointment to work with, that was usually fine. Her mother, however, had always been a morning person. Which is why Maki's phone was buzzing, interrupting a weird dream about Muppets and Nico and turnips. And roast beef. Maki needed breakfast and coffee before dealing with her mother, but ignoring calls always made things worse. Maki grabbed her phone, refusing to raise her face off her pillow.

"Good morning." Irritatingly brisk.

Maki grunted.

"Did I wake you?"

"What do you need Mama?"

"Your father wants to send the plane to pick you up for Thanksgiving."

Maki sat up, panicking. She was not ready to go home and…"No."

"We always have holidays together, Maki. And last year, you…"

"That doesn't matter.." Maki didn't want to talk about last year. Or this year. Last year, she'd disappeared into New York City for the entirety of the holiday season, spending every night at a concert or a play, refusing all of her parent's invitations, not wanting to discuss her decision to drop out of med school. She still didn't want to discuss it. There had been no signal yet that her father would talk about anything else.

Tudor didn't shut down on Thanksgiving. Most of the students actually stayed, many prepping for the Christmas pageant that Nico….Nico! Maki remembered a detail from her conversations with Nico that might save her.

"I have to stay. They need me to prep for the annual Christmas pageant. And the director hosts a Friendsgiving for students who don't go home…" Maki inhaled, feeling her chest fill with a mostly air, minor confidence mix, "I'm going to help."

Her mother didn't hide the disappointment even as she tried to be encouraging about Maki voluntarily taking part in a social activity. "That sounds...kind. Can we help?"

"No, Mama. I'm sure Nico has everything planned. She's been doing this for years."

"Nico?"

"The Christmas Pageant director. She teaches drama."

"Ah." Another pause, "How are Rin and Hanayo. We miss them too."

"They're fine. I saw them last night. My boss had a jam session. Rin loves a chance to play her maracas."

Maki's mother laughed, "I was always surprised when she didn't shatter them. An energetic performer."

"I'm always surprised that she has so much energy after coaching."

"She's at a different school, right? And Hanayo works with you."

"She heads the IT department so I don't see her."

And then her mom went into closing the deal mode. "When you come back for the holidays, bring Rin and Hanayo with you. The jet has enough seats. And i"m sure their families miss them."

And Rin would love flying in the Nishikino jet. But Maki had no plans to make a holiday stopover in Chicago. As she yawned, she decided that that was not an argument she would have with her mother today. So she punted.

"Okay."

"Good. Text me the details when you know them."

"Goodbye, Mama. I have things to do."

"Keep in touch…"

And Maki ended the call before her mother said anything else and flopped back into her pillows. If she slipped back into sleep, the conversation might fade, like a dream.

###

A bright morning, an amazing night last night with new friends, and now, enough time to stop for coffee and casual conversation on a bright, crisp, sunny morning, warm for November but still chilly enough for Nico's cashmere stole over sweater, beret, skirt, tights, and kicky shearling cuffed boots.

The coffeeshop was bustling with students and faculties, Nozomi off in the back somewhere getting the morning bread delivery from the Bread and Brew. Now, thanks to a chat with Honoka last night, Nico had a better appreciation for the foundational component of her favorite lunch sandwiches. So still a little high on her public performance, Nico ordered her usual morning coffee and half a French Toast order. While the barista poured her coffee, Nico looked for a seat. She spotted a bright blonde ponytail and recognized another new friend, Eli Ayase, the choreographer. As Nico approached the table, the dancer groaned, and dropped her head into her hands.

"Tell Nico what's worrying you." Nico slid into the seat next to Eli, "Nico has solutions."

Eli turned her head, blinking, "Get Nishikino to let me use Tchaikovsky."

"Eil, Eli, Nico talked about this. Maki has a point. And Nico's A Christmas Carol adaptation is modernized so it makes sense to have an updated Nutcracker as well."

Eli flipped the pages in an appointment book. Nico was surprised by the pencil on paper approach to something that could be digitally streamlined. "I don't have the time to supervise my student's choreography and ensure it's at an appropriate level for a public performance."

"These are senior students, right? Your best students."

Eli's nod was reluctant.

"Have some faith in them."

"But this is my first year, what if…"

Nico shook her head, "This is a learning environment. People will see them at whatever level they are and assess accordingly." Nico closed Eli's planner, "Nico has seen dance performances in the past. Tudor has a high quality bar for students."

"That's why I took the job." Eli admitted, grudgingly, "But I'm responsible…"

"No. You're responsible for grading their efforts, not making their efforts for them."

Eli was surprised by Nico's fierceness.

"Are your actors' performances not reflections of you?"

"Of course. Casting is a Nico strength, but then, then…" Nico hummed, "you have to step back and let them grow themselves. Give them too much advice, or put too much of your own experience on to them," Nico hesitated, slumping, "and you could discourage them without even knowing it."

"How's my favorite customer today? Do you need more hot water?" Nozomi's voice boomed. "And here's your breakfast, Nico. Usually you just get coffee."

Nico was chewing a bite before the plate had settled on the table. "Nico had a busy night."

"Ooohh." Nozomi slid into a seat, "With the hot redhead you stole from me?"

"Nico didn't steal anyone. And no. Nico was talking about performing. A jam session with Umi and Maki."

"Oh, at the Bread and Brew. Honoka was talking about that this morning...sounds like a gay old time."

Eli was glancing back and forth between Nico and Nozomi, a slight blush on her face while her brows were lowered in confusion.

"You explain." Nico scarfed down her breakfast.

"Professor Sonoda runs a jazz speakeasy in the basement of the local bakery we buy bread from."

"That seems…" Eli frowned, remembering the never a hem out of place, always seven minutes early Umi Sonoda she'd see around campus. "Out of character."

Nico nearly snorted out a chunk of French Toast. "You should hear her sing "Corcovado". It could convince anyone to sweep her off to Brazil."

"Really." Nozomi sat forward, staring into space, a dreamy smile on her face, "I'm gonna have to twist Honoka's arm for an invitation."

"Tell her Nico sent you." Nico finished her coffee, chest puffed out proudly. "My song got me on the guest list. Nozomi, I'll see you later. And Eli, if you want to talk about your students, Nico's door is always open."

Eli shrugged, still watching Nozomi stare into space. After a few moments, Nozomi shook herself out of a daydream, "Let me get you that hot water."

Lips tight in a frown, Eli gathered up her planner, repacking her bag, "I have to get back to campus."

"Stop by after classes."

"Too much to do." Eli said matter-of-factly, "I really don't have time for new habits."

And with a brief wave, Eli left.

###

Umi appreciated her morning routine. Honoka would be coming back from a night at the bakery, her morning deliveries done. There would be fresh bread, fruit, a protein, and tea waiting for Umi after her wake up workout. If Honoka weren't too tired, she'd tell Umi about her night. But when Kotori was back home, everything was in a disarray. Honoka would turn the driving over to an employee, there would be quicker breakfasts because getting up and getting moving was harder with Kotori there, smiling, and nuzzling closer. Umi had managed to get them all around the breakfast table before 9 a.m. She was due at the college for a meeting at 10. Which left Kotori only 15 minutes to attempt to upend her winter plans.

"Umi, you need to come to New York. It's so pretty, decorated, all the lights, all the music, you'll love it." Lashes fluttered irresistibly over deep honey eyes.

"I have responsibilities."

"You said Maki was going to conduct the Pageant Ensemble." Honoka brought over a tray of chocolate croissants. "Try these. One of my new work-study students made them."

"Ooohh…" Kotori bit into the fluffy, buttery crust. "Nozomi would probably like to add these to the coffeeshop menu."

"Excellent suggestion, Kotori. Now if you'll excuse me..." Umi put a croissant neatly in her snack bento.

"No." Umi giggled, poking her croissant at Umi's mouth until Umi took a bite. Then Kotori leaned in closer, "Umi…" Kotori dragged out her name and Umi groaned, "pleeeeeaaaaasse, pretty please come to New York for the holidays. I want to show you off. I made you this blue and gold wrap, you'll look like a present."

Umi shifted, uncomfortable at the knowing gleam in Kotori's eye. She put another croissant in her bento, to have something to do.

Honoka closed the bento, adding it to Umi's bag, along with the morning coffee thermos, "It'll be fun, Umi. Kotori has a friend with a cabaret. We can have a Christmas show."

"I have a Christmas show right here."

"Which you're not really involved with this year…" Honoka kept pushing.

"And you said Nico's an amazing director."

"But Maki's never done anything like this. And there's already been some trouble with Ms. Ayase." Umi wondered how Nico was going to balance those personalities. But she'd always been very successful with the young actors she'd taught. Obviously, Nico had a touch for diplomacy.

"Which you said Nico handled." Honoka echoed her thought. Honoka paid too much attention to inconvenient things.

Umi was five minutes past her must leave the house by to be 35 minutes early time. She slid her bag over her shoulder as sh stood. "I will consider it, Kotori."

"We're going to New York!" Honoka cheered, then bit into another croissant, "I'm going to give Kasumi more hours."

"Do not overwork students, Honoka."

"Do not overwork Umi, Umi." Honoka wagged a finger, face contorted into Honoka's version of serious, blue eyes teasing.

Umi giggled. "Meet me for lunch in the cafeteria, Kotori?"

"Of course." Kotori stood, to kiss Umi on the cheek, "I wouldn't miss it."

###

Kasumi was awfully cute when she yawned, Shizuku thought, taking a momentary pause from drilling screws into two by fours. But should she look that tired?

Kasumi saw her and waved, vaulting up onto the stage with more energy than Shizuku expected, "Hey, Shizuko, Kasumin brought you a fresh from the oven breakfast treat."

"Oh, did you have to work?"

Kasumi nodded, handing Shizuku a croissant and biting into one of her own.

"You're late, Kasumi!" Professor Yazawa called from where she was looking over a blueprint, "And did you bring treats for everyone?"

"Of course, Kasumin did," Kasumi twirled over to where Nico had set up a table.

"Take it to the coffeepot." Nico pointed offstage, where a temporary food services table had been set up.

"Yea, ma'am." Kasumi saluted, Nico smiled.

"Five minute break. Everybody's slow this morning."

Mumbles of "sorry Professor" accompanied the rush for sugar and caffeine. Kasumi returned to sit down next to Shizuku.

"Tasty." Shizuku petted Kasumi on the head, "Good job."

"Hey, crumbs!" Kasumi scrambled fingers through her hair.

"Sorry."

Kasumi yawned again, "'s'okay."

"Did you get any sleep?"

"I'll sleep after this. No other classes today."

"Do you want to meet for dinner? Maybe prepare for the Christmas Carol auditions?"

"Kasumin could sing...stop by after your class, you have one this afternoon, right?"

"French drama. We're studying Moliere."

"Sounds trez dull."

"It's actually fascinating to see how working in the theatre affected both Moliere's and William Shakespeare's writing. They were both extremely influential playwrights and cultural touchstones."

"Very Shizuko." Kasumi yawned, stretched, and stood, "If I don't keep moving, I'll fall asleep. What are we working on?"

"Platforms."

Kasumi sighed, "Hand me a drill."

Shizuku did as requested, only letting herself enjoy a minor thrill when the sides of their hands brushed. Yes, it was ridiculous, these tiny...crumbs of moments, but Kasumi was too cute to ignore and too oblivious to confess to. So Shizuku continued to challenge and compliment, hoping for a breakthrough as they worked together.

###

At the piano, empty score sheet ready for pencil and notes, Maki rifled through Nico's A Christmas Carol script. She really wasn't in the mood to read it through. At least A Christmas Carol was mostly about ghosts and greed. She could save working on the touchy feely Christmasy merry muck of the Fred scenes until she absolutely had to. Nico had tagged the songs so Maki pulled out a page of lyrics near the beginning. The Marley-Scrooge duet. She could work with that. Maybe make it a little gay, Maki chuckled to herself, remembering her conversation with Nico yesterday. Maki glanced at the cast of characters for basic descriptions. In modernizing, Nico had made Scrooge and Marley partners in a music label. So any music could be worked into the plot naturally. Nico's scribbled note said both Scrooge and Marley had individual gifts they'd put aside for differing personal reasons.

Maki kept thinking about last night, and playing for Nico. She couldn't help wondering what Nico's performance had been like from the audience. The audience had been caught up in Nico's charm while Maki had been so occupied trying to keep up on a song she wasn't that familiar with, she hadn't been able to spare any focus for watching Nico's performance. But still, she'd been hearing Nico's voice in her head all night. It was bright and shrill and yet somehow soft, a series of flirty confident demands that had had the audience oohing, a nicely turned twist of wry humor with some of the lyrics...Maki was sorry not to have been in some other seat, fully absorbed in the performance. Instead, she'd been laying down a basic 101 rhythm, not even able to showcase her own potential mastery of the selection. But Maki had thrown Nico into an impromptu situation instead of a collaborative one and now almost regretted the impulse that had made her break into Nico's conversation with Kotori and Umi. They could have planned something together if Maki had put any thought into it, a true duet instead of a Nico solo spotlight that Hanayo had spent an hour swooning over. Maki hadn't had anything to contribute to the conversation except, yes, Nico had been pretty easy to play for.

Back to this duet. How would Nico sing this? Maki closed her eyes and let her vague memories of Nico's performance be replaced by imagining Nico mouthing the words in front of her, letting a new theme take over from the Ellington. There could be, should be give and take, Maki hummed something in a lower register, closer to her own, a Scrooge for Marley to bounce warnings of suffering off of. Her fingers found the piano keys and she added the textures to the simple melody that had started this. What would Nico think?

A/N: Lunar New Year upcoming. I'm taking a break from theatre to do some writing so if there's an AU you want an update for, let me know.

#NicoMaki #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #ShizuKasu #Nakasu Kasumi #osaka shizuku #NozoEli #Tojo Nozomi #Ayase Eli #A Coffeeshop Christmas Carol #Holiday #A Christmas Carol #kotohonoumi #Minami Kotori #Kosaka Honoka #sonoda umi #fluff #holiday fluff #etc

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ddaenghoney · 5 years ago

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Series: of Silver

Part 21

Attending a performing arts university, you’ve been managing just fine until the fall semester of your third year starts off by making out at a party only to realize the random guy was actually transfer Jeon Jeongguk, whom you had previously agreed to help get used to the city.

Pairing(s):

Jeon Jeongguk x Y/N

Below the cut is a written scene from the story, but you don’t need to read it to follow the plot for the fake texts portions!

masterlist link is in blog description

disclaimer: any character depicted do not represent the actual personality of the respected idol in real life.

Warning(s)/genre(s): College!au, fluff, developing relationship, love triangle(s)??, some angst/drama here and there– Jeongguk has a dog this series isn’t allowed to be too tragic.

Tag(s): @butterflylion @rjsmochii @mahakookie @dammit-jjk @joanc24 @detectivebts @insaisissables @fuzzyballoontrash @sweet-unicorn-world (if you would like to be tagged send me an ask to let me know!)

If you enjoy, let me know!! : )

set after the first conversation between Jeongguk and Y/N

wc: 1132

warning(s): none

The rehearsal dinner’s location appeared as extravagant as the actual venue itself. Situated on the top floor of some small tower, the professor mentioned that one of the family’s businesses actually owned the tower and did a lot of work on the lower floors. Jeongguk felt nervous as he and two other students rode in the clear elevator that gave them all ample time to look at the surrounding metropolitan area.

Mostly all of the wedding party and important guests had already arrived, just the parents of the groom were being waited on before they began. Professor Choi was discussing something Jeongguk assumed was serious with the wedding planner, but as they started laughing he considered that it may have just been a chat. He looked to the center of the room as numbers started being called out to a beat. The bride and groom practiced the the slower of the few dances they were going to do, while Hoseok counted the steps and watched with intent eyes, countering the couple’s light-hearted, cheerful expressions.

After running around to monitor positions of cameras, and try to understand the ins and outs of the gesturing that felt common when those speaking did their parts, the guests started eating the catered meal while the student quatrain waited along one of the walls for their professor to let them in on what would be happening next.

“I can’t believe they wanted to learn four dance routines.” Jeongguk decided to comment, only catching Hoseok’s attention to the question from the corner of his eye. “It seems exhausting to put on top of all of this.”

“Right, I told them two would even be a lot, considering all the clothing they’ll be wearing.” Hoseok nodded as he leaned back against the wall, hands boredly in his pockets while the chattering of a meal took place in front of them all. “Well, I guess because it’s a special night.” He shrugged, “Anyways, it gave me something new to work on, so I can’t complain.”

“New?”

“I don’t usually choreograph to formal events like this,” He gestured with a hand forward to all of the people dressed in over-the-top outfits that were all mostly designer, if not then likely customized in some way. “Just like music video stuff, or some things for the theatre department. Well, hip-hop or more contemporary style is what I mean, I guess.”

Jeongguk nodded, recalling that your main focus after graduation was to work to film music videos and their conceptualizations. Considering the connection, he wondered if that’s how the two of you had met whenever you both had, through some project or competition. You both seemed very involved with extracurriculars so it wouldn’t have been surprising.

“You’re dating Y/N, right?” Jeongguk turned his head to look at Hoseok, the other two students having wandered off to try and find a vending machine out in the hall. Hoseok’s expression was mostly unthreatening--aside from the confident way he held himself usually, but the intent of the question seemed simple. “Don’t worry about me; she and I have nothing left there.” He averted his attention to a passing host that offered the two flutes of champagne. Politely declined.

“I wasn’t really worried.” Jeongguk said then, voice clear and resistant of Hoseok’s neutral comment “How’d you find out she and I were together though?”

“A couple of weeks ago Jimin and I saw you both at the cafeteria. He mentioned it to me then.” Hoseok explained all coincidentally as it happened, still not sounding anything more than commentative. “Well, anyways it’s good she found someone new. She had a rough time last school year.” Jeongguk stayed quiet, biting the inside of his cheek. He really didn’t get the sense that Hoseok meant anything by what he said, but nonetheless being brought up history and ideas of stories about his you, his girlfriend, by your ex just didn’t feel comfortable to hear.

“You guys used to work together on projects, I take it?” A change in subject, more for his own concerns of the question you asked him earlier about Hoseok getting involved with the project, but Jeongguk felt like it wouldn’t be far enough from the previous topic to settle him completely.

“Oh, yeah, quite a few things freshman year.” Hoseok nodded, then took a pause to let the background noise take over before speaking again, “A couple of things last fall semester too, I guess.” Jeongguk’s eyes narrowed in confusion at the sudden quiet tone and he stayed wrapped in the feeling when he glanced to Hoseok’s then drifted gaze aiming towards the marble flooring. “Well, anyways, it’s no big deal.” A shrug, then the return of a brighter expression when he looked at Jeongguk, “In the first place, I just wanted to bring up her and I to tell you there’s really nothing to be worried about there. I kind of got the feelings today you weren’t sure what to think of me-”

“Oh,” Jeongguk interjected out of surprise more so that he had been acting off, “My bad.” Hoseok shook his head, shrugging because he understood why Jeongguk would feel apprehensive. “It’s not just you, I was thinking about other things.” Other things concerning Hoseok, but- “Anyways, I’m not worried about her and you.” Genuine. Hoseok nodded. The two quieted as small applause carried throughout the room.

“That’s good. I think Jimin feels bad that he’s friends with both of us. Like he has something to hide.” Hoseok laughed shortly, glancing to Jeongguk, “He felt like he was apologizing for a secret when he told me you were his roommate a couple of weeks ago at the cafeteria.” Jeongguk smiled, thought about how Jimin hadn’t mentioned anything at all about Hoseok to him either, “Probably for our benefit.” Hoseok nodded,

“Yeah, but he shouldn’t worry either; I don’t have anything to think of that’d make me want to fight you for dating Y/N, that’s really old and gone feelings at this point. Besides,” Hoseok turned more towards Jeongguk, using a hand to gesture a line in the air around Jeongguk, “I couldn’t fight you anyways. I’d get my ass kicked; not cool.” Jeongguk laughed, shrugging while his shoulders finally relaxed against the wall,

“At least you know-”

“That’s a threat.” Hoseok said with theaterics, “I have the police on speed dial.”

“It’s just 911; how couldn’t you?”

“Boys,” They both turned their heads before Hoseok could sarcastically retort. Their professor walked to them from between the tables, “I think we’re all mostly settled about the videography plans for this weekend, and, Hoseok, I meant to let you leave earlier on after the choreography practice was over. Sorry about that, but you can both leave. Let the others know on the way out, please.”

#jeongguk #jungkook imagines #jungkook fake texts #jungkook smau #jungkook social media au #jungkook au #jungkook fluff #bts imagines #bts fake texts #bts smau #bts social media au #bts au #bts fluff #all #series of silver

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glassbangtan · 6 years ago

Text

On The Ice {Kim Seokjin}

Words: 12.3k

Summary: When you’re partnered with Kim Seokjin for the upcoming figure skating competition, things begin to heat up on the ice.

Genre: angst - fluff - figureskater!au

Warning: nothing???

Notes: masterlist – well would you look at that. i’m not dead.

---

“Hi! I'm Seokjin. I'll be your new dance partner.”

And that's how it all started, really.

There wasn't any layers to you and Seokjin meeting for the first time. In fact, the entire situation was fairly choreographed, prancing around the idea that the two of you had to win. You just had to. The public were counting on it, and you would be damned if you let them down.

The thing was, it would be easy to lose; there was always going to be losers. It could very well be you. In fact, it had been you on multiple occasions, but when you were working alongside Kim Seokjin, the possibility of losing was one you had to banish almost as soon as it arrived. It wasn't allowed. Not when Seokjin had a manager like Kim Byunhoon and a fan base as loyal as his own.

Because contrary to mainstream media, the fandom surrounding figure skating was one that was not to be taken lightly. As a world famous figure skater yourself, you could vouch for that statement.

The moment his deep brown eyes met your own, you knew you had to impress him. There was no question about it; he was more popular than you, had more training than you, had more than likely never once fallen on the ice. If you were any less wise, you would have truly believed the tall, slender but broad man in front of you had been born and raised with ice skates on his feet and the balance of a god.

A smile was the first thing you offered him.

“Hi,” you replied. “I'm Y/N L/N. I'll be – uh – your dance partner as well.”

So much for impressing the man.

Nonetheless, he grinned at your failed attempts at a casual introduction and reached a hand out, shaking your own with a fierceness that did not match his stature. “It's lovely to meet you, Y/N.” His eyes crinkled then, his hand shooting back to scratch at the side of his throat. “My manager actually isn't here yet, so I don't know what we're supposed to do.”

You looked around in search of the famous Kim Byunhoon – but Seokjin had very much been telling the truth. The infamous business man and coach had not yet arrived, meaning it was your job to show Seokjin the ropes.

“You're not from here, are you?” you asked, looking back into Seokjin's eyes.

He shook his head. “I'm from Gwacheon.”

And so the two of you started walking, making your way towards the massive ice rink currently crowded with people. The room was chilly, but it was nothing you nor Seokjin wasn't used to – although you had been skating for a little less time than he had, you still prided yourself on the time you spent within these conditions, prided yourself on the fact that you could so easily walk around in the freezing cold temperatures with nothing more than a light coat on.

The cold did nothing to hinder the conversation, despite the nerves thrumming through your entire system. Seokjin spoke like an elderly man, recalling stories that he insisted had only happened a few weeks prior, yet sounded like old folk tales. You listened, intrigued as he spoke about the first time he had ever met Byunhoon, how nervous he had felt, how his mother had all but forced him to be nice to this man whom he had never met before. Shy little Seokjin had been hesitant to befriend the confident man, but had soon become accustomed to him and treated him more like a brother than a manager.

“You know, we can't just talk about me this entire time,” said Seokjin, snapping his stories short. “We have a competition to discuss, and I don't even know anything about you.”

You shrugged. “I don't really have much to say.”

“That's a lie.”

“Hm?”

“Everybody has something they can tell another person. Tell me what your favourite hobby is.”

“Figure skating.”

Seokjin glared down at you. Though you didn't look back up at him, the burning at the top of your head was sign enough that he was giving you a disproving look. “Besides that.”

Again, you shrugged. “Why don't we just talk about the competition? We have an entire choreography to plan out before-”

Your words were cut short when someone yelled Seokjin's name in the background. You twirled around to see who it was, but Seokjin stayed rooted to the spot, glancing down at you with a single raised brow. Try as you might, you were unable to explain the look of pure confusion on his face.

You didn't even bother trying any further when you laid eyes on the real life Kim Byunhoon, standing tall only a few feet in front of you.

It was easy to say you had followed Byunhoon's figure skating journey from a very young age. His journey from a junior figure skater to a coach was one you envied. It was easy to claim you were nothing more than a passing fan, but it would be a lie.

Your mouth grew dry, body going rigid when Byunhoon grinned that dimpled grin and started towards you both.

“There you are! I see you two met before I could give professional introductions,” he said, shaking your hand as soon as he was close enough to do so. “I hope I didn't leave you two waiting for too long.”

“No, you're fine,” Seokjin replied. “Where have you been, though? The competition is in two weeks, and-”

“I know, I know,” Byunhoon grunted, waving a hand in front of his face as if to banish Seokjin's obvious disapproval. “Taehyung and his partner weren't getting along, so we've had to make some rearrangements.” Byunhoon rolled his eyes. “He's dancing with Park Jimin now.”

You scoffed under your breath; Jimin was one of your good friends, and you were well aware that the idea of dancing with Kim Taehyung was one that would excite him most tremendously.

At the sound of your amusement, Byunhoon's eyes snapped down to your own. Immediately you froze, holding your breath; why he was so intimidating was completely beyond you.

“Where's your manager, Y/N? I was hoping to have a bit of a word with them whilst you and Seokjin train.”

You quickly found your voice, stringing words together that you hoped would make sense when finally revealed to the world. “I don't – I don't actually have a manager. Nobody permanent.”

Even Seokjin's eyes snapped down to you when you said that.

“What?” he said, baffled. “How do you keep track of all the events you have to go to?”

You flushed, not realising such a small thing could be such a big deal. “I have . . . records, and stuff. It's not that difficult to stay organised when you have, like, a planner. A nice little bullet journal to-”

Byunhoon hollowed out his cheeks, shaking his head and looking away from you as if you had just showed him some chewed up food in your mouth. “You know what? I don't wanna hear it right now. We have a choreography to start and not enough time to be pissing about.”

Seokjin sighed. “Byunhoon-”

“Go and get warmed up,” Byunhoon ordered, waving yet another dismissive hand in the air before he span on his heel and left.

You stared at his back in shock. “Did I do something wrong?”

You hadn't really meant to ask the question aloud, but it was there and it was hovering the air between you and Seokjin now. The taller man sighed, placing a hand on your shoulder that made you jump with the suddenness of it.

“Don't worry about him. He just gets a little angry every now and then,” he reassured. At least, he tried to. “How about we genuinely start our warm ups? He was right when he said we don't have enough time.”

And so the warm ups began, and things got a little bit easier. They always did when you were on the ice; the world was never so serious when you were gliding freely across the frozen ground, hands outstretched, concentrating only on your own movements and your own balance. It was a pleasant shift of atmosphere, and Seokjin somehow made it all that much better.

Now, you had never been a massive fan of Seokjin before the two of you had met. You knew of him, had seen him at multiple competitions but had never spoken to him with the intention of becoming his friend. He was always just . . . the tall, handsome man who skated with the grace of a swan. He was the man who was managed and coached by Kim Byunhoon. He was a shadow at one point.

But as you looked at him now, gliding freely along the ice, you couldn't quite believe that you had never noticed just how truly at peace he looked. It was astonishing, in the most hippy-like way you could possibly imagine.

He kept you distracted. Half of you thought that was his plan. He'd heard the waver in your voice when Byunhoon had all-but yelled at you, had seen the confusion in your face, the dread unravelling behind your eyes, and he was trying his all-time hardest to make you forget that it had ever happened – you were grateful.

As the warm-ups slowly drew to a close and you were left panting by the side of the ice rink, Seokjin skated up alongside you. His forehead was glistened with sweat, a strange look for someone currently standing in freezing temperatures with nothing more than a thin black jacket over an even thinner grey shirt.

“You worn out already?” he asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

“Me? Absolutely not,” you shot back. “We haven't even started yet.”

Seokjin grinned. “That's the spirit.”

He reached out and yanked your hand, pulling you away from the wall before you had the chance to protest. He swung his head back, laughing as he twirled you in a most unexpected way; your feet wobbled beneath you, but this is what you had been trained for. You caught yourself before any real damage could be done, twirled in his grip before he dragged you into his chest and started gliding across the ice smoothly.

You followed him, struggling to keep up with his speed but enjoying yourself nonetheless. Through the haze of Saturday night skaters, you could hear him humming some obnoxious song, his eyes closed and his hands squeezing your own.

You giggled, having to yell to be heard. “If you don't open your eyes, you're gonna crash into someone!”

His eyes snapped open, but only to look down at you. “I'm a professional. I don't crash into anyone.”

And that was all he needed to say. He thrust his arm out and you twirled, slipping from his grip and landing in a pleasant little bow on the other side of the rink. Seokjin grinned at you, before he started clapping with his fingertips.

You rolled your eyes, now fully exhausted. Even Seokjin looked tired, panting as even more sweat gathered on his forehead and neck. Though he managed to make the exhaustion look incredible, you struggled to believe that you were owning up to the same skill.

“That was such a waste of time,” you said when Seokjin skated over to you and grabbed his water from over the wall. “Byunhoon is going to kill us both when he finds out we didn't even try and come up with a choreography.”

Seokjin wrinkled his nose up, bottle still pressed to his lips. He took one final, large chug before setting the bottle down and shaking his head, regarding you with a raised brow. “What do you mean we didn't come up with a choreography?”

“I mean, we didn't.”

“We've just danced for a solid five minutes. If anything, we're ahead of the game. This early on, most people don't even know who their partners are.” He glanced down at you. “Which, by the way, I basically still have no idea who you are.”

You raised a brow. “We've just spent the past two hours together.”

“That's not what I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

Seokjin inhaled, looking back out at the skaters, most of whom were still looking at you and Seokjin in shock for the small performance you had put on for them only moments before. “You never got a chance to tell me anything about yourself before Byunhoon appeared and interrupted you.”

Your cheeks warmed. You were hoping he had forgotten about that. “Well, it's not overly important, is it? We have all the time in the world to figure out the little details. I think we should just concentrate on the choreography for now.”

Seokjin frowned. “I don't like doing that. It makes me uncomfortable.” He looked down at you. “It is getting late, though, and we should probably pack in till tomorrow morning. What do you say I take you out for breakfast and you can tell me all about yourself?”

You hesitated. He saw it, analysed your sudden inability to talk and smiled softly.

“I'm being nice here. I'm even giving you the evening to come up with some interesting fun facts about yourself that we can share over some pancakes.” His fingertips brushed your elbow. “Don't be self conscious around me,alright? We're gonna be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks, and I'd prefer it if we could be on as good terms as possible.”

“We're not on bad terms-”

“But we're not exactly on stable terms, are we?” He raised a brow. Again, you didn't reply, but instead chose to take a loud sip of your half-finished slurpie. “I'll see you tomorrow at eight then, alright?”

“Bright and early,” you muttered. Seokjin smiled one final time before he waved goodbye, span on his heel and started towards the exit.

You watched him go, a pit of unease forming in your stomach. You liked him. You really liked him, because he was the complete opposite to what you had always assumed. He had fame, money, good looks, and yet his personality spoke of humility and kindness, a welcoming aura radiating off of him from the very first time he smiled in your direction.

He really had it all, huh?

And here you were, struggling to come up with even one thing to say that would impress him. You really would have to use that evening of planning he had offered you.

***

Eight am really was not the time of day in which you were your best functioning self.

There was a dull ache in your bones from the night before, though this was nothing you weren't used to. People always said that you would eventually reach a point in figure skating – or any sports for that matter – where it stopped hurting, where it would become like breathing and aching bones would be a thing of the past.

They were lying.

You were certainly proving the lie this morning as you waddled into the ice rink, burrowed in your hooded coat with a coffee already gripped tight in your hand. Sitting in the food court, you could see Seokjin huddled up in his own chair, his cheek placed in his palm, his eyes closed.

You could scarcely hide the grin that overtook your features at the sight of him. You racked your knuckles against the metal table, startling him out of his stupor. He shot bolt upright, eyes wide, looking around as if a gunshot had just gone off.

He met your eyes and immediately sighed, slumping back against his chair. “Don't do that.”

“We could have met up a little later if you were too tired, you know,” you said, pulling your own chair out and sitting down. “It definitely would not have bothered me.”

“That isn't the spirit,” he hissed. “We need some early mornings. It'll keep us disciplined.”

“Or it'll exhaust us and we'll end up collapsing in the middle of the ice.”

“What a pessimistic way to think.”

You pointed at him. “A realistic way to think.”

Seokjin rolled his eyes, swatting your finger out of his face. “Alright, alright, I see your point. But we do need to start taking this more seriously – early morning training sessions are gonna be perfect for squeezing the hours in.” You could only imagine that this was the kind of discipline that had been driven into his mind from a very young age. Though you had always taken your training seriously, you would be lying to claim that you ever felt motivated enough to drag yourself out of bed at the crack of dawn for a session – you let yourself sleep in an awful lot of the time, didn't care too much about discipline.

“But first,” he continued. “I believe you and I were going to have a little catch up chat before we got into things.”

You bit your lip. “You can go first.”

“I already went first yesterday.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Would it be easier if I asked you questions?”

You looked away. God, you were making this so much more difficult than it needed to be, and you knew you were. You could easily just list off some fun facts – you had a little brother, you were friends with Park Jimin, you liked the colour orange and your favourite food was pasta carbonara. It was as easy as that, and yet you found yourself nodding to his suggestion nonetheless.

“When did you start figure skating?”

You glanced up. “You wanna know the whole story?”

He shrugged. “As much as you're willing to share.”

It was as simple as that. He had asked the question, given you your prompt, and suddenly his peering eyes and award-winning personality didn't intimidate you so much. The words rolled off of your tongue, the recollection of the moment that changed your life slipping from your mind and into the air – you hadn't realised quite how badly you had wanted to share this with someone until now.

Seokjin made it easy, too. He never once took his eyes off of you as you spoke, even though you weren't always looking at him. He nodded, hummed along to your story, widening his eyes when you said something particularly interesting – it was his little reactions that had you giggling and swatting at his arm, telling him to stop until you were finished.

And soon, you didn't need the prompts. One story bled into another until the two of you were talking about conspiracy theories you both liked, with Seokjin claiming that Justin Bieber was very clearly a reptile, and aliens were clearly patrolling through the Bermuda Triangle.

“Listen, I'm not saying you're wrong, but that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard-”

“Right, but the idea of the FBI looking at us through our webcams isn't absolutely bizarre?”

“No! The evidence is there! It's not my fault you're completely and utterly-”

“What are you two doing?”

You yelped, a most embarrassing sound that had your cheeks heating up as you span to face the new arrival. Of course, you would have recognised his voice from anywhere, but you needed to look at his face to truly believe he was there – and it was, obviously, Mr Kim Byunhoon.

He, too, had a coffee in his hand this morning, his own coat bundled up around him. His eyes were narrowed, flicking between you and Seokjin as if you were children who had just been caught drawing on the walls.

“You're here early,” said Seokjin. “We were just having some breakfast and talking.”

Byunhoon glanced at his watch in a most dramatic way. “You were meant to start training at half nine. It's nearly ten o clock.”

Your eyes widened, stomach dropping. You wanted to say something, anything to cover your asses, but there was absolutely no excuse. Glancing over at the massive clock behind the food court counter, you realised that Byunhoon was right – you were late, meaning he had every reason to be mad at you right now.

Thankfully, Seokjin took the reigns. “Oh, shit.” He stood up, setting his coffee down on the table and peeling his coat off. “Look, man, it was my fault. I kept talking, and-”

“No,” you burst, before you could think better of it. Byunhoon's eyes flicked towards you and you met them dead on, even as Seokjin froze in his attempts to get his coat off. “No, Seokjin's just trying to keep me out of trouble. It was my fault we were late.”

You awkwardly tried to bow in apology, but it was truly pointless. Byunhoon didn't even see it. He turned back to Seokjin, grumbling beneath his breath something along the lines of, “Just get on the ice,” before he was pulling his phone from his pocket and punching a number into it, leaving you and Seokjin on your own again.

Seokjin looked over at you. You tried to ignore his gaze, but it was much easier said than done; he had eyes like fire, managing to burn into your very being no matter how far you walked, how much space was between you.

You were busy tugging off your own coat when Seokjin suddenly appeared behind you, his voice low when he said, “You need to let me handle him. He can be a lot to deal with for somebody who's never been around him before.”

You swallowed thickly, not even looking back when you replied. “I'm not scared of your manager.”

“I know that, but I don't want you arguing with him.” Seokjin sighed, surprising you by wrapping a firm arm around your shoulders. “Just promise you'll let me deal with him.”

“I'm not just going to-”

“Y/N.”

Maybe it was because Seokjin wasn't meant to have such a gruff and warning tone to his voice. Maybe it was the underlying fear you had towards Kim Byunhoon and the small bit of relief that flooded your system at Seokjin's offer, but you found yourself rolling your eyes and agreeing. Seokjin grinned, nuzzled his head teasingly against your own before he was yelling out, “Let's go!” into the empty ice rink and pushing himself onto the ice, ready to start the day.

You followed after him, but not before shooting a glance towards Byunhoon standing on the other side of the rink, a phone pressed to his ear and his eyes glued on you.

***

“This is the good kind of sweat!”

You yelped, trying to get away from Seokjin's sweaty form, though he made the task extremely difficult. He chased after you, his long arms wrapping around your shoulders and tugging you into his chest, particularly close to his sweat stained underarms.

You grunted, shoving him away so hard that the two of you stumbled, lost your footing and fell backwards onto the ice. The sound of your paired laughter echoed throughout the rink.

“No sweat is good sweat,” you said, pushing yourself back to your feet, Seokjin joining you. “One more round of practice?”

Seokjin grunted. “Let's just get lunch. We've been at it for nearly four hours already, and I'm starving.”

You shrugged, finding no room to argue. He had a mighty fine point; you, too, were starved, though the previous words of Byunhoon were still swirling around in your brain. Half of you was scared to get off the ice in fear of Byunhoon claiming you weren't working hard enough, whilst your other half was too starved to really care.

You and Seokjin made your way to the food court, settled at one of the tables, placed your order and-

“There you are.”

Park Jimin was standing over you before you could even process his presence within the rink. His sudden appearances was a common thing for him, apparently, and you had learned not to question them.

“Jimin,” you said. “What are you doing here?”

Jimin raised a brow, reaching over and stealing a chip off of Seokjin's plate. You weren't even surprised, though you couldn't help the giggle that erupted from you at the sight of Seokjin's suddenly flustered state.

“Don't act stupid,” Jimin responded. “It's mine and Taehyung's training time. We booked a slot for two hours.”

“Only two hours?” Seokjin blurted out, before seemingly realising what he had just said and quickly looking away.

Try as he might, Seokjin could not hide from the prying eyes of Jimin. The younger boy glanced over, raised a brow as he chewed thoughtfully on what once was Seokjin's dinner.

“So this is the boy who you're partnered with, huh?” he said, before bowing. “I'm Jimin. A friend of Y/N's.”

“Lovely to meet you,” Seokjin replied.

Jimin gushed, nudging your shoulder with his hip. “Awk, he's a gentleman, as well! That's so cute!”

“He's older than you, Jimin,” you said.

Jimin flushed, a flash of red slashing up his neck as he realised his mistake. Once again, he bowed in any attempt to correct his wrongdoings, but Seokjin was quick to raise a dismissive hand in the younger boys direction.

“It's okay. I know I look younger than I am.”

“You definitely do,” Jimin grumbled, before sending a glare your way and uttering under his breath, “You could have fucking told me!”

“I tried to, but you don't shut your mouth long enough for me to get a word in.” Jimin grunted, nudging your arm once again before he turned and looked at the clock. “Well, I should be going now. I haven't got much time before Tae shows up, and I'm not even in my work out gear yet.”

You nodded, bidding your friend farewell before he fled towards the changing rooms. Once again, you and Seokjin were left on your own.

“Sorry about him,” you said once Jimin had finally rounded the corner. “He's excited that he gets to work with his best friend for this competition, so he's a bit giddy.”

Seokjin chuckled. “It's okay. I think it's cute. It's not everyday you see someone as passionate as that.”

You nodded, realising that Seokjin was very much telling the truth. Jimin could be loud and overdramatic, but there was one thing that nobody could ever deny him – and that was his passion.

You swelled with pride for a moment, grinning from ear to ear. Oh, sweet Jimin.

“But now that we know him and Taehyung are taking the ice rink up for the next two hours, that means we can't actually go and practice our routine until their done,” Seokjin said.

You frowned. “Oh yeah. I guess you're right.” You looked up. “Are we done for the day?”

Seokjin shrugged, now awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “I mean, we can be if you're too tired to continue. But I was kind of hoping we could go and take a look around the city...”

It took you a moment to fully process what he had said, but once his words clicked, you were unable to suppress a grin, nor the excitement that bubbled within your chest. “Oh, Seokjin.”

His eyes snapped up, suddenly alert. “But as I said, we don't have to if you're too tired. It's just, Gwacheon is so different from Seoul, and I just wanted to check out the markets and buy some things, but I can do that on my own if you want to-”

He hadn't even finished his sentence before you stood up and started pulling on your coat. His words fell short, him going silent as he watched you slip your coat on, followed by your hat.

“Where are you going?” he finally asked.

You snatched his hat up from the table and pulled it onto his head. “Let's go before the market gets crowded, dumbass.”

***

If there was one thing you weren't used to when it came to your fame, it was the fans.

Never before had you been mobbed. Sure, the odd figure skating fan would appear and ask for a photo, or your autograph, or simply wave at you from across a crowded cafe, but never before had you had to deal with the hustle and bustle of being swarmed.

Seokjin pulled on the hem of his hat, grumbling low beneath his breath as the two of you made your way through the crowded market in the centre of Seoul's busy streets. It was a nice day, despite the biting chill and the need for layers – the sun was shining, the streets smelled like cooking food, and you were quite frankly in your element.

Seokjin, on the other hand, had definitely had some type of shift in mood since you had left the ice rink.

You glanced over at him warily. He was walking a little quicker than you, as if he planned on taking over and exploring the area all on his own. You hastened a little bit to catch up to him, and it was only once you were back by his side again did you latch onto his arm to gain his attention.

He looked down at you, eyes wide. “Oh, hello.”

“Hi,” you replied. “You know we still have a good hour and a half to kill before Jimin and Tae will be done in the rink. You don't have to rush.”

Seokjin hollowed out his cheeks, glancing warily behind him. You followed his gaze, unsure as to what it was you were even looking for in the first place.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just saw some fans over by the entrance, and they saw me.” You raised a brow. “Is that a problem?”

“No. No, of course not.” He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don't know. I really just wanted to come out here and enjoy myself. I don't wanna think about work right now.”

You blinked, unsure of how to respond to such a raw statement. It wasn't selfish. He wasn't being ungrateful – at least, not in your eyes, but maybe that was just because you could understand where he was coming from. Again, you had never been swarmed, crowded, never needed security to get through the simplest of areas, but you knew full well what it was like to feel like your work and your job and your reputation were following you everywhere.

Seokjin sighed, reached down and squeezed your hand. You were startled to find out that you were still clinging onto his arm, and with a small grunt of surprise, you unlatched your hands and stuffed them into your pockets.

“I get it,” you said after a moment of heavy silence. “You don't need to explain yourself.”

“I feel like I kind of have to. I was being a bit ignorant by walking away, wasn't I?”

You shrugged. “We can have fun now, though.” You shot a glance behind you. “It doesn't look like they followed you or anything. So why don't we go and get some greasy street food and enjoy ourselves?”

The grin that spread across Seokjin's face was all the response you needed. The two of you ventured through the markets of Seoul, you now taking on the role of tour guide, explaining and showing off each and every little thing you possibly could; this was what you were good at. Though you sometimes felt inferior next to Seokjin, him with his mighty skills in life, this was your moment to finally show him something rather than vice versa, and you were taking the chance with both hands.

Seokjin listened intently, asking questions that proved just how interested he was in the area you were showing him. You answered each and every one until you weren't even in the market any more, but wading around the streets of Seoul with a container of chips each and smiles adorning your faces.

“We should probably be getting back, you know,” you said through laughter.

Seokjin groaned, swinging his head back. “Has two hours passed already?” “It passed a good half hour ago,” you replied, giggling. “Byunhoon is going to be furious.”

“I'll handle Byunhoon.” He tossed his empty container into a nearby bin, wiped his hands on his jacket before he reached out and offered you his arm. For a second, you just stared, one eyebrow slowly raising in silent question. Seokjin simply shoved his arm towards you again, more vigorous this time, and with a small moment of hesitation, you wrapped your arm around his own and allowed him to walk you back to the ice rink.

***

Weeks had passed, but it didn't feel like it.

It was one of them cheesy feelings that you always read in the books, described in the utmost detail by an author who had probably never been in a relationship in their entire life; how time didn't exist, how butterflies would be adorning their stomach every minute of every day, how they lost track of the days and the months until they were crowding into one big event called Love and Happiness.

You used to always scoff at those.

And you wouldn't claim to know what it feels like, because you didn't. Not even now. Not even as you looked at your calendar and realised that – holy shit – nearly three weeks had passed, and the competition was in another two weeks..

There really was no secret as to why you had lost track of time so fast, but you refused to acknowledge it with Kim Taehyung and Park Jimin in the room.

Jimin sighed, messing idly with the ends of his hair. He had dyed it once again, and had been complaining for the past three hours that he didn't like the colour he had chosen.

“And whose fault is that?” Taehyung asked.

“Yes, I know it's mine, but that doesn't make the situation any less annoying!” Jimin hissed, before slumping back against the chair and shaking his head. You could only watch the two from the other side of the room, your ice skates laid in your lap from the warm-up you had been doing only moments before – Seokjin had a dentist appointment this morning, meaning you had been forced to do your training with Jimin and Taehyung, a most disastrous change of events.

Jimin's eyes met yours through the fringe of his new light blue hair. “You're awfully quiet for someone who's been getting a lot of action these past few weeks.”

Taehyung scoffed, kicking Jimin's shoe. “Give them a break.”

“I didn't even ask a question,” Jimin shot back, before darting his eyes to your own. “Although, now that it's been mentioned – how have things been between you and Seokjin?”

You raised a brow. There was a tone to his voice that you did not appreciate.

“Good...,” you drawled. “Why?”

“I don't know. You just seem a little bit happier nowadays. I was wondering whether it had something to do with him.”

Taehyung lazily raised a hand. “I, too, have noticed that.”

You flushed, looking away before either of them could notice the sudden shift in your demeanour. “Well, I'm glad I seem happier, but I can assure you that nothing drastic has happened. Especially not between Seokjin and I.”

“I don't mean to call you a liar, but the two of you have been going to the market almost every night after training, and if that doesn't scream I love you, then I really don't know what does,” said Jimin.

You blinked. “Are you serious?”

He raised his small hands in mock surrender, a grin appearing on Taehyung's face that had your nerves rattling just that little bit more; you could throttle the both of them right now.

“Listen, I'm just an outside observer,” Jimin said. “If my observation is wrong, then feel free to tell me and I'll make some adjustments, alright?”

“It's wrong.”

Jimin scowled. “Hm.”

Him and Taehyung both shared unconvinced glances, eyebrows raised and mouths twitching in their attempts to hide smiles. You couldn't help but roll your eyes, stood up and made your way towards the slushie bar, not having the time nor the temperament to argue with either of them. They could believe what they wanted to – you had bigger things to worry about.

Things that came to light as soon as you saw Byunhoon wading across the ice rink, looking directly at you.

You could have hid. Part of you wanted to, the sudden urge to duck down and pretend you hadn't been here in the first place suddenly becoming overwhelming, but Byunhoon's eyes were firm on your own; he had seen you long before you had seen him.

You stiffened, hand gripping the edge of the counter. He approached slowly, didn't say anything when he was finally in front of you, but you could tell by his demeanour and the way he trailed his eyes up your figure that what he had to say wasn't going to be good.

You swallowed the golf ball sized lump in your throat and decided to take matters into your own hand. “Byunhoon. I wasn't expecting you to be here today, considering Seokjin's off.”

He pursed his lips, making a show of trailing his eyes over your body once again. He was inspecting you, and it made you feel small.

“I'm not actually here for Seokjin,” he said finally. “I'm here to talk to you.” You winced. “Me?”

“Mm. I've been seeing some things on the internet as of late, and I need to have a word with you in regards to their content.”

“Well, I'm afraid I haven't really been on the internet a lot lately. Busy with-”

Byunhoon's phone was suddenly in your face, an article pulled up consisting of a picture of you and Seokjin, walking peacefully through the market. At first glance, you could see nothing wrong with it; you remembered the day well, your head tossed back in laughter as Seokjin struggled to get through the remainder of his story, his own laughter putting a halt to the effect he had meant for it to have. The two of you had just been enjoying yourselves, taking a break from the tiresome workload you had taken on that day.

You flicked your glance up towards Byunhoon. It was immediately obvious what he thought of it – you saying you didn't see anything wrong with the picture was going to do nothing but anger the man even more.

“I want an explanation,” he demanded. “I did not spend my own hard earned money trying to get Seokjin over here to attend this competition just for you two to slack off and do whatever you want. This competition is important both for his reputation and my own, and you will not ruin it.”

You blinked. Surely you had heard him wrong?

He craned his neck, sighing into the open air. It was a sound of distress, a sound of impatience that made you feel as if you should respond to him, but there was nothing to say. He was being ridiculous, looking far too deep into something that did not have such underlying motives.

“I let Seokjin get distracted by his own feelings once in the past, and it nearly cost us everything,” Byunhoon continued, no longer looking at you but instead at the ceiling. “He's too caring for his own good. He'll throw away everything he's ever worked hard for if it means he can make one of his loved ones happy. I can't let it happen again. I won't.”

You craved to know the story behind what Byunhoon was saying, but the words fell short in your throat. You could only hear the threat to his statements, the lack of room left for argument when it came to your stance in Seokjin's life.

You weren't sure how deeply Byunhoon thought you and Seokjin cared for each other. You were friends, and you appreciated him to a point that surprised even you – he made you happy, he made you laugh, made you smile and forget the stresses that usually came alongside an impending deadline. In more ways than one, Kim Seokjin was the only thing keeping you stable at the minute.

But surely that didn't mean you loved each other? Even the mere suggestion was absurd – you were business partners turned friends. There was nothing romantic between either of you. There never had been, never could be.

You looked up at Byunhoon warily, trying desperately to fight off the tears of frustration that burned in your chest. “You don't have to worry about Seokjin and I, Byunhoon.”

He nodded. “I know I don't. Because I've dealt with the situation myself.”

Your heart fell. “What do you mean?”

“Seokjin is a world-renowned figure skater. As soon as I mentioned the fact that his current partner has backed out of the competition, I had plenty of applicants crawling to get the chance to replace you.”

For a single moment, you stared at him in utter confusion, completely oblivious to the meaning behind his words. You hadn't backed out of the competition. Seokjin didn't need a new partner. You were right there, had been practising with him for weeks-

And then his words clicked, and your jaw dropped and your body felt like it was going into overdrive because there was no way in hell he was allowed to do that.

“No,” you said, simple. “No, you're not allowed to do that. That's against the rules!”

Byunhoon shrugged, already turning on his heel, getting ready to leave. “His new partner is already on their way to Seoul right now. The contracts have been paid, the competition board has been notified.” He turned to face you one final time. “If you care about Seokjin in any way, shape or form, Y/N, you'll disappear.”

***

You were trembling, but it wasn't from the cold this time.

The call had come through only hours before, the confirmation that you had been removed from the list of contestants for the competition; you were no longer partnered with Seokjin, no longer had a reason to talk to him or see him.

You didn't want to admit that that was the hardest part, because you had been denying those feelings for weeks now. You had told everyone that you and Seokjin were purely on business terms, and that was it – he was friendly, and he made you laugh, but there was nothing beyond a business oriented relationship between you both.

But now, as you sat huddled in your bed with the covers pulled over your shoulders, you realised it had all been absolute bullshit.

There was no point in denying it any more. You were a mess, and yet you hardly cared about the fact that you were no longer going to be a part of the competition. Sure, weeks of training had gone to waste and that sucked, but it wasn't the reason you were trembling, wasn't the reason you had barely left your room in the past twenty four hours, wasn't the reason you wanted to grab Byunhoon by the collar and launch him off-

“Y/N?”

Your head snapped up, appearing from beneath the covers. Of course, Jimin and Taehyung were standing in the doorway, never being ones to take much care about knocking. The two of them shared an expression of concern, brows furrowed and lips pursed as they pondered over what to say, how to approach the situation.

You ducked your head back under the covers. “So you heard.” It was Jimin who appeared by your side first, gently extracting the covers from your head. For all the remarks he made and all the sly little jokes he shot in your direction, he never failed to let you know he cared about you when the moment called for such a reassurance.

“We heard,” he replied. “Jesus, Y/N. What actually happened? Why would you back out of a competition like this?”

You bristled. They believed the news. Byunhoon had won them over as well.

“Look, that isn't the point,” Taehyung cut in, stepping forward and sitting himself down on your other side. “Seokjin's just as confused as everybody else. You broke the poor guys heart.”

“There's no need to make them feel bad,” Jimin hissed. “Whatever reason you had for backing out-”

“How is Seokjin?” You no longer cared about keeping a lid on your feelings. Hearing Taehyung say that Seokjin was heartbroken was enough to shatter whatever bit of subtlety you had been trying to withhold.

Jimin and Taehyung shared a glance, before Jimin sighed and placed a hand on your knee.

“We don't want to make you feel guilty, but it's obvious he was super excited to perform in this competition.”

You scoffed. “He is still performing.”

“He was excited to perform with you, Y/N,” said Taehyung.

You fell silent. You shouldn't have felt guilty. You weren't the one who had backed out of the competition – Byunhoon had done that for you. He had made the decision. You had done nothing to hurt Seokjin's feelings.

That didn't make it any easier.

“But as we said before,” Jimin hastened to add, “we're not trying to guilt trip you or anything. Whatever decision you made, we're going to support it. No matter the reason behind it.”

You tried for a smile. You really did, because Jimin and Taehyung were giving you a support you knew you needed, but one you didn't want to accept. Accepting it would mean accepting everything else, and that was the absolute last thing you wanted to do.

The two of them smiled back at you, but the smiles were not the ones you were used to. They were sad, pained, full of an unwanted concern.

You finally sighed, reached over and wrapped one arm around Jimin's shoulders and your other around Taehyung's, pulling the two of them in for a hug. There was an immediate sense of comfort – it wasn't enough to banish all thoughts of dread and heartbreak, but it was enough to let you know that you wouldn't have to deal with this situation on your own. Not when you had these two by your side.

***

You didn't want to be there.

That was all you could think about as Jimin dragged you through the play area of the activity centre towards the ice rink. You pulled and tugged at his hand in any attempt to get out of his grip, but he was insistent – just because you weren't training for anything, didn't mean you could simply sit back and do nothing at all.

“I'm not letting you waste away in your room. It's not happening.” That was his excuse, and every time you had blocked it with something along the lines of, “I just want to go home!” or “There's no point in me even being here!”

Jimin would hear none of it.

“I'm being a caring friend,” he said. “You can join in on mine and Taehyung's routine if you want, but figure skating is your life. You can't just throw your skill away because of some slight mishap in the system.”

Slight mishap. You nearly scoffed at how much of an understatement that was, but managed to hold it back – Jimin didn't know what had truly happened. Leaving him to believe that backing out of the competition was your decision and your decision alone was the easiest thing to do.

And so, you and Jimin waddled onto the ice together, and you started a usual day of training. Your muscles were sore from barely being used for the past three days, but you managed to pull yourself together long enough to throw in a few twirls, to impress the on-lookers who were skating around with legs like newborn calves.

But of course he was there.

He had to be. Whenever Jimin had first mentioned bringing you along to his and Taehyung's training session, you had immediately recognised the risk – Seokjin still needed to train, and he would be training with a brand new partner. He would be here, and there was nothing you could do but anticipate him seeing you.

And see you he did, because as soon as you glanced over and spotted him through the crowd, his eyes were latching onto yours like a magnet to metal.

You floundered, shocked at the direct eye contact. Your feet slid from beneath you, and you landed with an “oomf” on your backside. A group of school children giggled at you as they gracefully skated past, but your attention wasn't on the fact that you had just embarrassed yourself.

It was on Seokjin.

Seokjin and the girl currently skating around him, trailing her hands over his chest even as he ignored her, keeping his eyes on you.

“What are you doing on the floor?” Taehyung asked, skating to your side. “Jesus, you've been out of commission for three days, and already you're losing-”

You reached up, grabbed Taehyung's hand and snatched him down. His own feet skidded out from beneath him, forcing him to the ground beside you.

“Ow! What was-”

“Who is that?” you hissed, pointing to the girl that Seokjin was ignoring. Seokjin noticed your pointing, raised a brow in your direction but made no move to come towards you – not with Taehyung by your side.

“Yongdu?” Taehyung questioned. “She's Seokjin's new partner. I thought you'd have heard about her in the magazines.”

“No.” You were trying desperately to hide the jealous note to your voice, but as always, Taehyung was as familiar with you as he was to his left foot. He could read you like a book.

He raised a brow, leaned forward to catch your eye. “Are you jealous?”

You spluttered, swatting him away as he made to lean closer. “Jealous? No. Why would I be jealous? I didn't just expect him to not have a new partner after I – after I left.” The words were like acid, a lie that you could not avoid telling.

“Exactly,” Taehyung replied. “Listen, if Jimin would have known you were going to get all flustered seeing Seokjin with a new partner, he wouldn't have brought you.” Taehyung stood up, reached down and hauled you to your feet. “You two haven't even spoken, have you?”

“Seokjin and me?”

“Who else?”

You flushed, biting your bottom lip. He was no longer staring at you, now gliding along the ice, but you could see he was distracted. He wanted to ask about what had happened, why you had backed out, but you kept re-imagining Byunhoon's words, his warning, the slight hint of truth that you hated admitting was there.

“There's not much to say,” was your response. Taehyung stared at you, a question clearly still playing on his lips, but you didn't wait around long enough to hear what he had to say. You gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a final smile before you turned and glided away.

***

The day was drawing to a fairly quick close, and you were exhausted to say the very least.

Having not even wanted to get out of bed in the first place, the fact that you had spent nearly seven hours training entirely on your own was a miracle, but one you were certain you were going to pay the price for tomorrow morning.

You leaned against the wall of the ice rink, trying to regain your breath. Sweat stained the collar of your shirt, your jacket long since discarded on the seats in the waiting area. It felt good to finally be back on your feet again, to be where you knew you always belonged. It was much better than-

Arms wrapped around your waist, startling you out of your stupor.

You yelped, jumping and just barely managing to catch yourself on the wall. You span around, ready to slap the person who had grabbed you so unexpectedly, but your hands, your heart, your everything faltered as soon as you looked into those soft brown eyes and caught a glimpse of that shy, soft smile.

“Seokjin.”

It was all you could think to say, even as panic gripped at your insides. Byunhoon could be anywhere. He could show up out of nowhere, see you and Seokjin standing together and use that as even more incentive to threaten you, scare you away from figure skating for good.

But Seokjin did not move, and neither did you.

“Y/N,” he replied. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

You shook your head. “It's fine. Really. I was just – uh – I was just...” You blinked, looking up at him finally. “Do you need something?”

His smile faded. You hadn't realised how cruel the sentence sounded, suddenly wanted to rephrase it, but he replied before you got the chance to.

“I was hoping we could talk. You haven't really been around much these past few days.”

You winced. “Yeah. . . I haven't really been anywhere these past few days.”

“How about I buy you a slushie or a hot chocolate and we can talk about what happened?” He scratched the back of his neck. “I'm really confused, Y/N. I thought things were going okay.”

“They were!” you burst before you could stop yourself. Seokjin looked down at you, quirked a brow in silent question. “They were,” you repeated, quieter this time. “I just . . . wasn't ready to enter another competition just yet. That's all it was.”

Seokjin paused. “So why didn't you tell me that? You even told Byunhoon before you told me.”

You gritted your teeth, wanting desperately for Seokjin to see through whatever fog his manager had placed across his vision. Was it not obvious? How had you spent nearly an entire month with this man, only for him to sit back and believe the lies being spewed to him?

“I didn't tell Byunhoon,” you mumbled, scared that the man in question was standing within ear shot.

“What do you mean? He told me-”

“He is a lying little bastard.”

The words were out before you could take them back, before you could think better of them. Seokjin reeled back with the intensity in your tone, his hands still placed on either side of you, caging you against the wall though you had no complaints. The closer he was, the quieter you were able to talk, and that was your safest option.

“I don't understand,” said Seokjin. “Why was he lying? You backed out.”

“I didn't back out,” you said desperately. “Why would I back out, Seokjin? You saw how happy I was skating with you. We were getting on so well, and I was genuinely excited. I thought you could see that.”

“I mean, I thought you were happy, but then-”

“But then Byunhoon came up and told you I wasn't, and that I backed out.” You raised a brow. “He's never liked me, Seokjin. It doesn't take a professional to see that.”

Seokjin was silent for a moment, eyes darting from your face to the wall behind you. Byunhoon was most likely prowling the activity centre, could show up at any time and see you doing this. He would get rid of you. He would find a way to put a bad word to your name, and that would be your entire career over. He wouldn't let you get in the way of Seokjin's win, and that much was obvious.

“He said something to you,” said Seokjin. “What did he say?”

You flushed, recalling his words perfectly but struggling to find a way to articulate them without sounding awkward. “He said . . . Well, he told me this long ass story about-”

“About my other partner from a few years back.” Seokjin closed his eyes, shaking his head. “He's still worried about me after all these years. I told him to leave it be.”

“What happened?”

Seokjin shrugged, opening his eyes but ducking his head down. “I had a partner a few years back who I was signed to work with for some charity TV screening. We ended up getting close, and things took off, and neither of us wanted to go against each other in the competition part of the screening, so we backed out. Byunhoon blames the fact that we liked each other on his loss of money, so he hates it when I get close to anyone any more.”

You winced. “Yeah, that's basically what he told me.”

“I'm sorry.” He stood up straight and ran his hands through his brown hair. “I'll have a word with him-”

Your eyes widened. You snapped forward, grabbing his arm before he could so much as tilt away from you. “No! No, please don't do that.”

He raised a brow. “Why not? He can't keep getting in the way like this, Y/N. If nobody says anything-”

“Just finish the competition with Yongdu, and then we can sort the rest out from there,” you said. “Please, Seokjin. I don't want this to stir anything up before you're due to perform in front of millions.”

Seokjin's expression softened. “What are we actually sorting out here, Y/N?”

You swallowed thickly. Neither of you answered, but you both knew what the answer was. You stared into his eyes for only a few seconds longer before he sighed, hollowed out his cheeks and glided away towards the centre of the ice, where Yongdu was patiently waiting for him.

***

The day of the competition arrived.

You had every intention to stay as far away from the ice rink as humanly possible, seeing absolutely no reason in showing your face. If the rumours Byunhoon had been spreading were seen as truthful, you would be seen as a coward, would only be receiving dirty looks from the people who recognised you.

But Jimin and Taehyung had other ideas, meaning you soon found yourself huddled in the stands with the hundreds of other fans who were waiting for the show to begin. You were bundled up in your oversized coat, looking left right and centre for any sign of someone you recognised.

Jimin and Taehyung both gave you a wave when your eyes met theirs. They were busy waiting for their pre-competition interviews, dressed gallantly in matching emerald green suits with small fly aways at the sleeves that would make them look like they were flying as they glided across the ice. Beside them, the ice hockey player Min Yoongi was stood, busy fixing his mouth guard as his manager spoke to him.

And then there was Seokjin and Yongdu, standing by the far corner, chatting away. There was an awkward tension, obvious in the way Seokjin grin was a little too strained, in the way he couldn't seem to keep eye contact with her for more than a few seconds. He continually looked around, until his eyes finally met yours and he straightened up, giving you a wave even as Yongdu continued to talk.

You smiled back shyly, giving him another small wave in return. You then settled yourself down on the bench and got prepared for the show to begin.

You would enjoy yourself. You had to. You had listened to what Byunhoon said, hadn't re-entered into the competition. There was nothing he could do to stop you from watching the show.

It started shortly after, and immediately the arena was filled with screams. They echoed off the walls, and yet through it all you could still make out the sound of the tracks playing in the background, was still able to follow the moves of the figure skaters as they glided across the ice in that same way that always left you completely speechless; you craved to be alongside them, found yourself itching to feel the sensations you knew they were currently feeling. Every figure skater felt them – that feeling of freedom, the underlying risk that came with each jump, the slight leap of your heart the split second before your blades made contact with the ice again after attempting a risky jump.

You wanted that, but for now, you allowed yourself to just scream and enjoy the show with the audience. For once, you weren't a competitor, but somebody who could enjoy the performances, and it was a nice change from the usual.

Jimin and Taehyung performed beautifully, as you always knew they would. On their own, they were magnificent. Putting them together was a recipe for perfection, meaning you weren't at all surprised when they went away with nearly full marks. The two of them were grinning from ear to ear when they finally waddled off the ice, arms thrown over one another, legs like jelly.

You ached to go to them, give them a congratulatory hug, but the announcement of Seokjin and Yongdu's upcoming performance had you freezing in your seat.

The two of them approached the ice. You had seen this so many times before on television, watched Seokjin take them first few, unsure and nervous steps onto the grounds before the world seemed to close around him and it was no longer a competition, but just him and his ice skates and the music playing around him.

This time, there was no moment where the world disappeared.

His shoulders remained stiff as he walked across the ice, hand in hand with Yongdu, who was grinning and waving to both the judges and the screaming crowd. The two of them were wearing matching gold, Yongdu's skirt embroidered with a shimmering dragon whilst Seokjin's golden sleeves held the same design.

Something was wrong.

“What is he doing?” You leaned forward and placed your chin on your hand, getting a closer look at the scene; why did he look so nervous? Why were his hands trembling? Why wasn't he waving to the crowd?

The music started, giving you no time to answer those questions.

You watched on in a mix of fascination and anxiety as Seokjin and Yongdu broke apart, and the performance truly began. Yongdu was perfect, a princess on the ice. She was graceful, knew the moves perfectly despite the limited amount of time she had to learn them. Seokjin was just as graceful, but there was a stiffness to the way he moved that had you narrowing your eyes; you weren't sure whether it was just because you had seen him perform better than this. To the untrained eye, he could have very well just looked normal.

But this wasn't right. Something was bothering him.

Yongdu twirled into his grip, but somehow Seokjin missed her hand. He winced at his own actions, the crowd gasped as if they couldn't quite believe such a small thing had happened, and you looked on in absolute confusion and terror.

He couldn't mess it all up now. He had worked so hard for so long. He had been so excited about this competition, and now it seemed as if every single move that he had perfected was going wrong.

Yongdu smiled nervously at the crowd, twirled one last time-

And Seokjin missed her hand again.

Something snapped in that moment. You watched it happen. You watched the moment his features twisted into one of annoyance, watched the moment he decided that there was no point in even continuing – he stopped dead in the middle of the ice rink, ducked his head into his hands and stood there.

Just stood there.

That was the reason you forced yourself onto your feet, the reason you shoved past security, the reason you shoved Byunhoon's warnings out of your head; something wasn't right. Seokjin wasn't okay, and you would be damned if you were to just sit back and-

You stumbled when Byunhoon shoved you out of the way and stampeded towards the wall of the rink.

“Seokjin! Seokjin, what are you doing?” he bellowed, taking absolutely no notice of the fact that he was currently in public. Spittle sprayed from his mouth, his hands waving in front of him as veins popped from his neck. “You're being ridiculous! Did you forget where you are, boy?”

Anger flared up within you. Boy. As if Seokjin was nothing more than a prize that Byunhoon could claim as his own, some kind of creation tricked into thinking his entire life should revolve around winning awards and being the star he wanted him to be.

You marched towards the wall, grabbed Byunhoon's arm and span him around. “Tell the judges to cut the music off.”

It was a demand. Byunhoon didn't take kindly to demands.

His eyes darkened, trailing over your form in that condescending way they always did. Before, you would have cowered away, done anything to gain his approval, but Seokjin was still standing in the middle of the ice and you needed to do something.

“I thought I told you to leave,” Byunhoon growled. “This is your fault then, is it? You're the reason he's suddenly got stage fright.”

“I don't know,” you snapped. “I don't know what's wrong with him, but we need to get him off the ice before-”

Byunhoon's hand snapped out, wrapping tightly around your upper arm. You yelped, his fingernails digging crescents into your flesh despite the large coat you had on. He all but lifted you off your feet, tossing you to the side. Your feet crashed against the floor, and all the balance you had gained from years of figure skating suddenly dissolved into nothingness as your ankles gave out beneath you and sent you sprawling to the floor.

Byunhoon stood over you. “I want you out of this rink right-”

“You son of a bitch!”

Your eyes shot up, horror flooding your system. Seokjin darted forward, stepped off the ice with a grace unknown to you, and punched Byunhoon directly in the nose.

There was no reaction you could possibly give. You stared, shocked at the pure anger radiating off of Seokjin as he stepped over his fallen manager and glared down at him.

“Keep your hands away from Y/N,” he growled. “Do you understand me?”

But Byunhoon was a businessman first and foremost; as soon as he saw Seokjin, the reminder of his mistakes seemed to flare up in his brain, and he was stumbling back onto his feet in a matter of seconds. He reached out, grabbed Seokjin's collar and pulled him close. In the background, the crowd was howling both in horror and excitement at the scene taking place in front of them.

Seokjin didn't even flinch.

“What the hell happened to you out there?” Byunhoon spat. “Do you know how many fans your disappointing by taking a little girl sulk in the middle of a damn competition.”

“It was your fault,” Seokjin replied drly.

Byunhoon raised a brow, tightening his grip on Seokjin's collar until his knuckles were flashing white. “Care to explain how me giving you everything made you do that?”

“Don't act stupid, Byunhoon,” Seokjin scoffed. “I know what you said to Y/N. I know you sent them away because you're too scared of me actually caring about something more than figure skating. Well, news flash – it's too late for that now. That choreography was mine and Y/N's. It wouldn't have worked with anyone else, and you're an idiot for not seeing that.”

He shoved Byunhoon's chest. The manager stumbled back, hand swinging by his side, jaw open in shock.

Seokjin straightened out his suit. “And you were too late anyway – I've always cared about Y/N more than whatever stupid competition you signed me up for.” He turned to look at you, eyes immediately softening at the sight of you on the floor. “Are you okay?”

You swallowed thickly, unable to reply even with a nod. Your body was numb, the shock of the moment refusing to wear away. You had never seen Seokjin's eyes blaze so dark, never seen such anger coursing through him before.

You didn't like it.

At your silence, Seokjin stepped forward and reached a hand out towards you. You took it, even as your own hand trembled. He pulled you under his arm, turned to Byunhoon once again and said, “I don't think you have to worry about managing me any more.”

And that was all he needed to say before he intertwined his fingers with your own and walked out of the ice rink.

***

Words seemed like an awfully weak thing at the moment.

You and Seokjin sat on the wall outside the local convenient store. Seokjin was still sweat stained, still dressed in his magnificent costume that looked very out of place on a side-street in Seoul. You had taken your coat off and draped it over your and Seokjin's legs, but it did very little to conserve the heat. In the end, you had take the risk and nuzzled a little bit closer to him. He didn't mind.

The cars howled past, honking every now and then when they caught sight of Seokjin's bizarre choice of daywear. He didn't smile, didn't bask in the attention like he once may have done; he kept his head down, swinging his legs against the wall until you finally came up with something to say.

“Are you okay?”

It was so simple, such an expected thing for you to say, but it filled in the gap of silence, and that was all you really wanted.

Seokjin nodded slowly. “Yeah.” His voice was a croak. “I feel better than I did when I was on the ice.”

“You did a good job, you know,” you said. “Even though you panicked at the last minute, your mistakes weren't that bad.”

Seokjin smiled. It was a weak one, but it was progress. “Thank you, Y/N.”

You hummed. “Did you really mean what you said?”

“I'm gonna need a quote. I said a lot.”

“About the choreography being just for me and you. About it not working for anybody else.”

Seokjin nodded immediately, as if it had never even occurred to him that you would doubt such a thing. “I thought that was pretty obvious considering I messed it up. I was meant to perform it with you – I didn't want to perform it with anyone else, so it just kind of took the fun out of it.”

You nodded as if you understood. Part of you did, though you had never experienced the same thing. You had no doubt in your mind that you would feel the exact same way if the roles were reversed.

Seokjin reached over and laid his hand over the top of your own. “I also meant what I said when I told him I cared about you. A lot.”

You blinked. Of course, you hadn't forgotten that part, but the idea of bringing it up was enough to make you feel ill with the butterflies it brought on. Hearing him address it was the confirmation you needed that he had actually spoken those words.

“Did you mean it?” you asked.

“More than anything else I said.”

You closed your eyes, gently leaned your head against his shoulder and let the night air engulf you both. You didn't need to reply. There was really no need for it. The way you turned your hand over and intertwined your fingers with his, the way he pressed a tiny little kiss to your temple was enough to speak a thousand words.

You felt the same way, and you were ready to break out of your comfort zone and finally let your feelings take reign.

***

“Kim Seokjin and Y/N L/N spotted on a lovey dovey date in Gwacheon! This is their fourth date since the accident, and it is safe to say that the two of them are a couple, whether they confirm it or not.”

You frowned, reading the article from Seokjin's phone. He hummed, gliding through the pictures casually – it was nothing the two of you hadn't seen before, considering your timelines had both been blowing up with this kind of thing for weeks now.

Seokjin had taken you to Gwacheon for the weekend, a get-away from the stress that had come with the competition. Now, the two of you were laying in his childhood bed, a single with very little room, but neither of you minded. Seokjin's phone was perched on his chest, multiple articles pulled up explaining the conspiracies that had formed in regards to your relationship.

“Some of these journalists actually get paid to write stuff like this,” said Seokjin. “Maybe I should give up figure skating and become a journalist. All I have to do is spew bullshit and post it on the internet for people to read.”

You giggled, swatting his chest. “That's not very nice. Besides, they've clearly got a very keen eye, considering they're not wrong.”

Seokjin grinned, looking down at you with a small twinkle in his eye. “They're not, are they? We are a couple.”

You flushed. “I mean, if you wanna put a label on it...”

Seokjin chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I wanna put a label on it. It's nice to be able to say I'm in a relationship with you. It just glides right off the tongue, doesn't it?” He leaned over fully then, his phone slipping from his hand and landing on your stomach before he pressed a kiss to your lips – and god, that was something you would never get used to. The feel of his lips on your own, the way his hands always managed to dip beneath your shirt and grip your hips, pulling you impossibly closer. The first time you had felt his fingers on your bare skin, you had gasped and jumped away from him.

Now, you arched into his touch, asked for more with the way your mouth suddenly sped up against his own.

He grinned into the kiss, pulling away for only a split second to push your hair behind your ear. He swooped back down in a matter of seconds, capturing your lips again and continuing where he left off.

It was only the sound of the front door opening that broke the two of you apart for good. His forehead clunked against your own, his eyes fluttering closed as he panted.

“Mums home,” he grumbled.

You smiled widely. “Oh good. I love your mum.”

He raised a brow. “That sounds like-” Before he could even finish his sentence, you had shoved him away and was bounding out of bed, his shirt riding down to mid-tight on you. You darted towards the door, giggling as he groaned and called after you.

“This was meant to be our lazy day!”

“Come on, Seokjin!” you yelled over your shoulder. “Your mother needs help with the groceries!”

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